Life of the Elrics
by nhaer042
Summary: Stories about the Elrics after the events of Brotherhood. Rating may go up in future chapters.
1. First Lessons

Just a series of short stories I'm doing just for fun. Feel free to review and leave suggestions. I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

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First Lessons

Jackson Elric sighed as he looked out the window at the grassy plains of Resembool. It was raining. On a Saturday. The absolute worst possible day it could rain. Jack desperately wished his sister, Emma, was around to play with, but unfortunately, she and their mother, Winry were at Granny Pinako's house today. A part of him wished he had agreed to go. At least there would have been someone to talk to. Suddenly he remembered something.

"Dad's home," he said aloud to himself. Winry said Edward had gotten home late the night from a week long trip to Central the previous day. Jack had forgotten. Ed had been quiet all day. He might have been sleeping. Ed was usually tired after long trips. Couldn't hurt to check though. The five-year-old headed upstairs to his parents' bedroom and quietly opened the door. He poked his head inside but saw no in the room. He decided to check the study. He went down the hall and took a look inside the study.

Edward was in there busily looking over some books and scribbling things down in a notebook. His stomach growled reminding him he hadn't eaten yet. Ed ignored it as he continued reading his book. He was on an interesting chapter and could eat when he was finished.

"Hi, Daddy!" greeted Jack happily. Ed jumped at the sudden voice of his son. He turned around in his seat and smiled.

"Hey, buddy," greeted Ed opening his arms wide for a hug. Jack ran up to him and climbed in his lap and hugged him. He laughed as Ed tickled him. "I missed you," said Ed ruffling Jack's hair.

"Missed you too."

"How long have you been up?" asked Ed.

"All day."

"Oh. Really?" Jack nodded. "Sorry, I didn't know. Emma is with your mom right?"

"Yep," said Jack. "I have no one to play with. I came up to see what you were doing?"

"Just some reading for my work."

"Akemy?" asked Jack. Ed chuckled at his mispronunciation of the word.

"_Alchemy,_" corrected Ed with a smile. "I do research to try and help alchemists become better at their jobs."

"Do you do alchemy?" asked Jack.

"I used to when I was younger," said Ed. "Not anymore."

"Why not?"

"That's a very long story buddy. Maybe I'll tell you when you're older."

"Oh," said Jack a bit disappointed. "Do you think I could do alchemy?"

Ed raised a brow. He was caught off guard by the question. "Why would you want to learn alchemy for?"

"So I can help you with your work. I'd be your as-assi"

"Assistant?" Edward finished.

"Yeah, that."

"I dunno," said Ed. "Alchemy can be hard to learn and it can be very dangerous if you aren't careful."

"But you would help me be careful right?" asked Jack. "Can I at least try it once?"

"Weeelll," said Ed. He was concerned for his son's safety. He knew all too well the dangers of alchemy. There was also the fact that Jack was awfully young to start learning. Of course, Edward was about that age when he started. He looked at his son's wide pleading eyes and sighed. "Okay, fine!"

"Yay!" said Jack as he started looking at Ed's notes. "What are you looking at?"

"I think we should start off a bit simpler," advised Ed. Jack nodded in agreement. Suddenly both of their stomachs growled. "You hungry?"

"Yeah. Can we eat first?" asked Jack.

"Sure thing," said Ed.

After a quick lunch, Ed took Jack back to the study. Ed pulled a book off of the shelf and handed it to Jack.

"What's this for?" asked Jack.

"It's a basic alchemy book," said Edward. "It will teach you the basics of alchemy." Jack opened the book and started looking through the pages.

"Is this how you started?" asked Jack. Ed nodded.

"Yep. I wasn't an expert right off the bat. I read that exact book when I was a kid."

"A lot in here," said Jack.

"You don't have to learn if you don't really want to," said Ed giving his son an easy out. Jack held the book close and gave his father an annoyed look.

"I do wanna learn!" said Jack with determination. Ed couldn't help but feel proud of his son. He was reminded of himself when people tried to tell him he was too young to learn alchemy.

"Alright," said Ed. "If you need me to explain something I'll be right here, okay?" Jack nodded. "Now start reading."

* * *

Winry and Emma came home later that afternoon. The rain had stopped a couple of hours ago and Winry was sure she would find Jack, and possibly Edward, playing around in the puddles. As if reading her mind, Emma started jumping around in the puddles herself and giggling.

"Emma, not now," said Winry. The four-year-old stopped and gave a disappointed look to her mother. "You can play after dinner," she added.

"Okay, Mommy," said Emma happily. She ran inside the house with Winry following behind. "We're home!" announced Emma. No reply. "Daddy? Jack?"

"Maybe they're upstairs," suggested Winry. The two headed up stairs. Emma checked Jack's room while Winry looked in the study. Her mouth dropped at what she saw. Both Edward and Jackson were in there reading. Edward had moved the desk from in front of the window to the middle of the room. The two sat opposite form each other. Neither seemed to notice Winry watching them. Emma squeezed past her and ran to Ed.

"Daddy!" she cried.

"Angel!" he replied as he picked her up and put her in his lap and kissed her on the cheek. "I missed you, sweetie."

"I missed you too, Daddy," said Emma hugging him around his neck tightly.

"I don't know if I can remember all of this, Daddy," said Jack looking up from his book.

"Well, do what I do," suggested Ed. He leaned back in his seat and grabbed a book from the shelf and handed it to his son who started looking through it.

"It's blank," said Jack confused.

"It's a notebook," explained Ed. "You can write down important things that you read in it so you don't forget."

"Oooh, that's why you write things down," said Jack. Ed chuckled and nodded.

"What's going on here?" asked Winry. Ed, Emma and Jack immediately turned their attention to her.

"I'm learning alchemy!" announced Jack proudly. Winry's eyes widened as she looked at Edward.

"He insisted!" said Ed holding his hands in front of his face in case Winry decided to throw a wrench at him.

"Jack, Emma, could you go downstairs? I need to talk to you father," said Winry.

"Okay," said Jack. He climbed out of his chair taking his alchemy book and notebook with him and Ed put Emma on the floor. Ed stood up and approached Winry when the kids left.

"Edward, what are you thinking?" she asked her husband.

"Like I said, he insisted." Ed put his hands comfortingly on his wife's shoulders. "Hey, I'm keeping an eye on him," he assured. Winry started tearing up.

"We've seen how dangerous alchemy is. It's threatened your life more times then I care to remember."

"Hey, no need to cry," said Ed as he pulled her into a hug. "I'm going to be guiding him every step of the way. There's no way I'd ever let our son put himself in danger if I can help it."

"I know," said Winry. She pulled away and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm just worried."

"So am I honestly," admitted Edward, "but for now he wants to learn and I kind of want to teach him." Winry sighed.

"Okay, but if it gets too dangerous-"

"I'll make him stop," Ed promised. Winry smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

"I'm going to start dinner."

"Sounds good." Winry left the study and headed downstairs to the living room. Jack was explaining to Emma what he learned that day much to his sister's confusion. She quickly gave up trying to understand and went back upstairs. Jack didn't seem to mind and kept reading.

"Are you having any trouble reading that?" asked Winry. Jack shrugged.

"Daddy's helping me with the big words," he said. Winry took a seat next to him on the couch. She looked over his shoulder as he read.

"So tell me, why do you want to learn alchemy?" she asked.

"Because Daddy said he doesn't do it anymore. I want to help him with his work."

"That's very sweet of you, honey," said Winry. She had to admit she was touched by her son's desire to help his father and impressed by how serious he seemed to be taking his studying. "You can go back upstairs if you want." Jack scribbled something in his admittedly messy handwriting down in his note book.

"Okay," he said as he jumped off the couch and went upstairs. Winry smiled as she watched him leave the room. A part of her would always worry about the path he was starting on, but she trusted Edward to guide him and she wasn't about to deter her son from something he was interested in without giving him a chance to try. She got up and headed into the kitchen to get dinner ready.


	2. The Kitten

Here's the next little story. Hope you enjoy and feel free to leave any sort of criticism or suggestions.

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The Kitten

"Emma could you grab a carton of milk for me?" asked Winry.

"Okay, Mommy," replied Emma as she did as she was told. Winry put the milk in the cart while Emma started giggling.

"What?" asked Winry.

"Daddy and Jack aren't going to drink it you know," said Emma.

"I know," sighed Winry. "But I can try right?" Emma just shrugged. "Well, I think that's everything then," said Winry. The two paid for the groceries and left the store. Winry held on to the grocery bags in her left arm Emma's hand with her free hand as they walked down the sidewalk. Suddenly, both of them felt a small four-legged creature run across their feet. Emma noticed a small gray kitten run into an alley and scurry underneath a dumpster.

"Hey where did that kitten go?" came a voice.

"I saw it go down and alley," said another. Three boys ran in front of Winry and Emma into the alley where they proceeded to try and pull the kitten out from underneath the dumpster much to the small creature's protest.

"Ow! It scratched me!" shouted one of the boys.

"Hey, what are you boys doing?" asked Winry.

"Chasing a cat," answered one of the boys.

"Why?" asked Emma.

"Why should we tell you, Shorty," said another boy.

"Okay, all of you leave the cat alone," demanded Winry annoyed at a poor kitten as well as her daughter being teased. She shooed the boys away much to their annoyance. Emma meanwhile peaked under the dumpster to see if she could spot the kitten. It was a little gray Maine Coon kitten that was trying to make itself look as small as possible while cowering under a dumpster.

"Hello there," greeted Emma. She reached her hand out to the kitten causing it to hiss and swipe a paw at her. "Ouch!" squealed Emma as she pulled her hand back.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" asked Winry.

"I'm okay," said Emma ignoring the tiny cut on her finger. She reached her hand out to the kitten again this time managing to pet the top of its head. The kitten recoiled at first but quickly realized Emma meant it no harm and let her pet it. Emma then quickly grabbed the kitten and pulled it out from underneath the dumpster. She stood up carefully cradling the kitten and handed it to her mother.

"Let's take a look at you, little guy," said Winry examining the kitten. "Or rather 'little girl' I should say," she said after getting a good look.

"What are we going to do with her?" asked Emma.

"Well she's obviously a stray," said Winry noticing how dirty and mangy the kitten was.

"We're not going to just leave her are we?" asked Emma. Winry smiled and handed the kitten back to Emma.

"No, we're not. Here you hold her," said Winry. The two then headed to their car and drove home.

"Do you think Daddy and Jack will like her?" asked Emma.

"I don't know. But we're keeping her regardless," said Winry. "What are we going to name her?"

"Um. . .Alley," suggested Emma.

"Why Alley?"

"Because we found her in an alley," said Emma like it was obvious.

"Well, can't argue with that logic," laughed Winry.

* * *

Jack sat out on the swing in the front yard as he read through his alchemy book. It was a nice day out and he decided to study outside. He looked up as he heard the family car approach the house. Emma quickly got out of the car and ran up to her brother.

"Jack, Jack, look, look!" she said excitedly as she showed him the little kitten in her arms.

"Oh, cool!" said Jack. "Can I hold it?"

"It's a girl!" said Emma protectively holding the little kitten close to her.

"Uh, sorry," apologized Jack. "Can I hold _her_?" he asked.

"Well. . .just be careful, okay?" she told him as she hand him the kitten. Jack did as he was told and carefully the kitten. Alley was immediately scared of the unfamiliar touch as she tried to squirm out of Jack's arms. Emma quickly took her back and cuddled her.

"She doesn't like me," said Jack a little upset.

"She was being chased by a group of boys when we found her," said Winry. "Give her time and I'm sure she'll warm up to you." Jack nodded in response. "Jack, can you grab the last bag of groceries. Emma, why don't you show Alley to your father?"

"Okay," said Emma. She ran into the house and headed upstairs to her dad's study. Edward was reviewing some notes he wrote down earlier. "Hey, Daddy," she greeted.

"Hey, Angel," Edward greeted back. He looked over his shoulder and noticed she was holding something. "What have you got there?" he asked as he got out of his chair and knelt in front of her.

"A kitten Mommy and I found. Her name's Alley," she said handing the kitten to her father. Alley again tried to squirm out of Ed's grip.

"Easy, furball. I'm not going to hurt you," he told Alley keeping a firm hold of her. After a moment, Alley became comfortable in Edward's arms. "There we go."

"I think she likes you, Daddy," said Emma.

"You think so?" asked Edward. Emma nodded. "Well, I think she'd like both of us better if we cleaned her up. Come on." The two headed down to the kitchen. "Go grab a washcloth, Emma," he instructed. Emma did as she was told as Winry watched. Emma returned with a washcloth which Ed dampened and started scrubbing Alley down. The kitten growled in protest and swung a paw at Edward's hand. "Hey, I'm trying to help!"

"You're scrubbing too hard," said Winry taking the washcloth from Edward and shoving him aside. "Go put the groceries away," she told him. Ed decided not to protest and began to put the groceries away while Winry cleaned Alley off.

"I'm not drinking the milk," said Edward.

"Me neither!" shouted Jack from the living room.

"I'll deal with you two about that later," said Winry as she continued to clean off Alley as Emma watched. Winry noticed her daughter watching and handed her the kitten. "Here, you want to finish cleaning her?" Emma nodded as she happily took Alley and finished cleaning her off.

"All clean," said Emma. She put Alley down and giggled as the kitten started to lick herself dry. "What are we going to feed her?"

"Here," said Ed pouring some milk onto a saucer. He put it on the floor in front of the kitten. "She'll probably drink this crap." Alley happily began licking up the milk as Emma pet her. "Can we afford a cat?" asked Ed. Winry shrugged.

"I don't know," she answered. "Let's be adventurous for once, and wing it." Ed chuckled and shrugged as he and Winry smiled as they watched the newest member of their family.


	3. First Transmutation

Not entirely happy with this chapter, but not enough to not post it. Hope you all enjoy. As usual, feel free to leave any comments or criticism. I like feedback from you guys.

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First Transmutation

Jackson sighed as he shut the third book his father had given him to read since he started his alchemy studying a month and a half ago. He began to wonder when his dad would actually let him transmute something. He had asked his dad about it ever since he finished the first book that was given him, but Edward said he wanted to make sure Jack thoroughly understood the basics of alchemy. Jack had figured he had learned enough to try, but Edward also told him that he wanted to be around when Jack did his first transmutation. Unfortunately, Ed was out of town again and wouldn't be back for two more days. Frustrated, Jack left the study. He noticed his mother sitting in her workshop and went inside.

"Hey, Jack," greeted Winry as he took a seat next to her. "Something wrong?" she asked when she noticed the upset look on his face.

"Can I transmute something now?" he asked. "I finished all of the books Dad gave me. I'm ready to try."

"I thought your dad wanted to be present when you did your first transmutation, didn't he?" asked Winry.

"But he isn't even home right now," Jack whined. "Why does he even need to be around anyway?"

"I don't think it's that he _needs_ to be around so much as it is he really _wants_ to be," suggested Winry.

"But why?" Winry smiled and shook her head. She turned in her seat so she was facing her son.

"Your dad may not say it out loud but he's extremely proud you want to study alchemy. It means a lot to him that you want to do this."

"Really?" asked Jack surprised.

"Yes. He loves the time you two have been spending together since you started. I think it would be really special for him to see you do your first transmutation."

"Oh," said Jack taken aback. It never occurred to him how much this all meant to his dad. "Well, I guess could wait for a little while longer."

"You know your dad comes back on his birthday," said Winry.

"Oh, yeah," said Jack. "Should I do it then?"

"I think that would be the perfect time to do it," said Winry. "Have you thought about what you wanted to transmute?"

"Um. . ."

"You haven't thought that far ahead have you." Jack gave her one of Ed's goofy, toothy, smiles as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Nope." Winry sighed.

"Well your dad once told me the first thing he ever transmuted was a wooden chicken I think."

"Where'd he get the wood?"

"He used the floor of his father's study." She immediately noticed the wheels in Jack's head start to turn when she mentioned that. "If you transmute the walls or floor it's no alchemy and extra chores for a week, got it?" Jack nodded his head vigorously and immediately quelled any thoughts of transmuting the floor.

"So what do I use?" asked Jack.

"You're the alchemist trainee, you tell me," said Winry. Jack thought for a moment then suddenly smiled as he thought of something.

"I need to do a little studying, bye Mom," he said quickly as he rushed out of the room. Winry laughed a little. Jack seemed to become more like his father every day.

* * *

Edward walked up the path to his house. He was only in Central for a week but he missed his family greatly after only the first couple of days. As he approached the steps to the front porch, the front door opened and out ran little Emma.

"Daddy!" cried the young girl. Edward laughed as he scooped her up in his arms.

"Hey, Angel!" he greeted. He gave her a kiss on the cheek causing her to giggle.

"Happy Birthday, Daddy!" said Emma.

"Thanks," said Edward. He carried Emma back into the house and set her down on the floor. Alley came up and purred as she rubbed against his legs. "Hey there, furball," he greeted as he scratched the kitten's ears.

"Welcome home," said Winry as she walked down the stairs. Edward smiled and put Emma down so he could hug his wife.

"Hey, missed you," he told her. She chuckled and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

"Missed you too. Happy Birthday."

"Thanks." Ed looked around noticing the lack of a certain family member. "Where's Jackson?"

"He's upstairs working on a surprise for you. Don't bother him right now."

"Oh, um, okay."

"Dinner's in the oven, why don't you tell us about your trip while it cooks."

The next few minutes were spent with Ed telling the events of his trip. There wasn't much to tell in his opinion but he was glad his wife and daughter cared enough to ask. Jack was strangely quiet and absent the entire time causing Ed to wonder what it was his son could be working on.

"Well, I'm glad you had a safe trip," said Winry when Ed finished. She stood up and headed towards the kitchen. "Can one of you go get Jack?"

"I'll get him," volunteered Edward. "Where is he?"

"In his room I think," answered Winry. Edward nodded and headed upstairs to his son's room. The door to Jack's room was shut. Ed tried to open it but found it was locked.

"I'm not done yet, Mom," said Jack sounding a little annoyed when he heard someone trying to open the door.

"It's not, Mom," said Ed. He heard some shuffling inside the room before the door opened revealing a smiling, wide-eyed Jack.

"Daddy!" he shouted as he hugged his father's leg. Ed smiled and knelt in front of Jack to hug him.

"Hey, buddy. Whatcha doin'?"

"I was finishing studying something," said Jack.

"What was it?"

"You can't look yet, but it's almost done!" said Jack excitedly. Edward sighed in defeat.

"Okay, okay," he said standing up. "Come on, your Mom's almost got dinner ready."

* * *

After dinner and cake, everyone presented presents. Jack quietly slipped away during this time. Ed was about to ask where he went when Emma climbed into his lap.

"Me first, Daddy! Me, first!" she demanded.

"Okay," laughed Edward. Emma handed him a folded piece of paper. "What have we got here?" he asked as he opened it. It was a picture in crayon of the Elric family in front of their house. Even the cat was included.

"Do you like it?" asked Emma. "It's not that good."

"You kidding?" asked Edward. "It's awesome. I love it."

"Really?" asked Emma with a huge smile on her face.

"Absolutely," he said giving his daughter a kiss.

"Alright, my turn," said Winry. She handed him a large wrapped box. Ed unwrapped it and opened it. His mouth dropped as he pulled out a red hooded coat.

"This can't be my old coat can it?" asked Edward. Winry shook her head.

"No, but it looks exactly the same. It even has that black symbol on the back." Ed looked on the back of the coat and smiled when he the symbol he wore after he completed his training with Izumi. "I had it tailored a bit so it would fit you since you actually grew a bit since you lost your last one."

"Still with the short jokes, huh?" asked Edward annoyed.

"Daddy, isn't short!" protested Emma earning her another kiss on the head from Edward.

"See, Emma knows I'm not short," said Edward.

"She'll figure it out as she gets older," said Winry. Ed mumbled something under his breath. "What was that?"

"Uh, nothing. Where's Jack?"

"Here I am," said Jack coming into the kitchen as if on cue. He grabbed his dad's sleeve and started pulling on it. "C'mon, Dad, my present is outside."

"Okay, okay," said Edward. He lifted Emma off of his lap and put her on the floor. He followed Jack out to the front yard where he found a transmutation circle drawn in the dirt and a fist-sized rock sitting in the middle of it. "What's all this?" asked Edward.

"I wanted to do my first transmutation on your birthday," said Jack. Ed's eyes widened in surprise.

"Are you sure you're ready?"

"He's been diligently studying ever since you first handed him that basic alchemy book," said Winry. "He's already gone through two more and he's been preparing for this for two days. Let him try." Ed looked at Jack whose face was practically begging his dad to give his permission. Finally, Ed smiled and nodded.

"Okay, Jack. Go for it." Jack nodded and stood behind the circle so he was facing his family. He took a deep breath and clapped his hands like his dad said he used to do before laying his hands on the circle. Bright flashes of lightning sparked scaring both Emma and Alley causing them to hide behind Edward.

"It's okay you two," assured Ed. "That's supposed to happen." The family watched as the rock in the middle of the transmutation circle began to shift in its shape. Jack ignored everything else as he focused on the form the rock was supposed to take. A rather large cloud of dust flew up obscuring Jack from view. After about a minute, the lightning stopped and the dust settled revealing Jack smiling widely at the small stone chicken he transmuted.

"It worked!" he shouted both surprised and relieved. He picked up the duck and handed it to his father. "Happy Birthday!"

Ed whistled as he examined the duck. "I made something like this once but mine was wooden."

"I know. Mom told me. That's why I made it. Is it good?"

"Good? It's amazing. It's way more detailed than the one I made. Mine just had the basic shape but this one almost looks real." He handed it to Winry who nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, this one actually has feathers," she said.

"Can I see?" askd Emma. Winry handed the chicken to her. "Ooo, pretty." Jack came up and took it from her.

"It's Dad's present," he stated. He handed it back to Ed who knelt down by his son and put a hand on his shoulder.

"This is really impressive, Jack. Congrats, you're officially an alchemist." Jack had a huge smile on his face at those words and hugged his dad.

"So would you say it was a good birthday, dear?" asked Winry. Ed smiled softly as he hugged both of his children.

"Best one yet."


	4. A Surprise

Hope you all enjoy. Feel free to leave a comment.

* * *

A Surprise

Ed and Jack sat on one of the benches outside the train station waiting for their expected arrival to show up. Jack sighed in boredom and looked over at his father who was reading a book. Jack leaned over in his seat to get a better look. Ed just chuckled and held the book to where they could both read it easily. Jack was surprised to find it wasn't an alchemy book.

"What's this book, Dad?" he asked.

"Just an old mystery book. I found it while I was on business in Central. I used to have a copy when I was a kid but never read it."

"Oh," said Jack. He read a few lines before getting bored again. It was no fun starting a story halfway through. He leaned back in his seat and sighed again. "When is the train going to get here?"

"11:30," answered Edward.

"What time is it now?" asked Jack.

"11:20. About one minute from the last time you asked me," said Ed a little irritated.

"Oh." Jack looked around for something to do. He looked down at the wooden floor of the porch in front of the train station and pulled out a piece of chalk from his pocket.

"Do it and your drinking milk for a week," warned Edward as his son bent down to draw a transmutation circle on the floor. Jack quickly sat back up and stuffed the chalk back into his pocket. Someday he would transmute somebody's floor. It was just too interesting an idea to pass up. He decided to try again and read the book Edward was reading. Again, Edward held the book to where they could both see it and patiently waited for Jack to catch up to where he was. After a few minutes of silent reading, a train whistle was finally heard. Ed and Jack looked down the tracks and saw a train coming in the distance. Ed checked his watch. "Huh, they're a few minutes early for once."

"Yay, they're here!" said Jack excitedly as he jumped off his seat. Edward quickly grabbed Jack before he accidentally got too close to the tracks.

"Easy, buddy, let's not get flattened by the train, shall we?"

"Sorry," apologized Jack. The two waited as the train pulled up and came to a stop. Ed lifted Jack up and set him on his shoulders as people began to pour out of the train.

"You see 'em, Jack?" asked Edward. Jack scanned the crowd and noticed someone waving at him.

"There!" shouted Jack. Edward set Jack down and the boy immediately rushed over to the person who waved at him. He laughed as he noticed a tall dark blond haired man and a Xingese woman waiting for him. The blond man knelt down and held out his arms to grab Jack as he hugged him. "Uncle Al!" shouted the excited young boy as he hugged the man.

"Hey, Jack," said Al. He smiled as he got a good look at his nephew. "Wow, look how big you've gotten. I think you're taller than your dad was at your age. Not that that's entirely surprising." Jack laughed at the joke.

"Hello, Jack," said May. Jack smiled and gave her a hug as well.

"Hi, Aunt May," greeted Jack. Xiao-Mei them popped up from behind May's shoulder and jumped into Jack's arms. "Hello to you too."

"Jack, buddy, you can't run off like that," said Edward as he caught up. He smiled when he saw Al and May.

"Don't worry, I won't tell Winry you almost lost your son," said Al giving Ed a hug. "Good to see you again, Brother."

"Glad your back, Al." He noticed May and gave her a hug. "Keeping my brother out of trouble?" he asked her.

"We both know you were always the trouble maker," said May.

"I have no idea what you mean," said Edward feigning offense. Al just rolled his eyes. "Anyway, let's get you guys back home. Winry and Emma are dying to see you."

"Sounds good," said Al. Almost immediately Jack began to ask his aunt and uncle all sorts of questions about Xing on the way back home. Neither minded though and happily answered their nephew's questions.

* * *

"Emma, get the door please," Winry shouted from her workshop when she heard someone knocking.

"Okay," answered Emma. She got up from her spot on the couch much to the annoyance of the kitten sleeping in her lap and opened the door.

"Surprise!" said Al when he saw his niece. The little girl giggled as she hugged her uncle and aunt.

"Hey, Uncle Al, look," said Emma as she picked up Alley and showed her to Al. Immediately, Al began gushing over the kitten.

"Aw, look how cute she is," he said. "Mind if I hold her?" Emma smiled and handed Alley to him. Surprisingly, the little kitten felt comfortable in Al's arms. Jack came in with Xiao-Mei who immediately took an interest in the kitten. The two animals sniffed at each other before Xiao-Mei pawed at Alley, scaring the little kitten.

"Xiao-Mei, be nice," scolded May.

"Oh, Alley is scared of everything," said Winry as she came downstairs. She gave her two guests a big hug. "I'm so glad you could visit."

"Still haven't told us why you did visit," said Edward as he walked in.

"I told you, Brother, it's a surprise. I wanted to tell you when we were all together."

"Well, we're all here now."

"Pinako isn't."

"Just tell her later."

"Edward let it go," warned Winry.

"Alright, whatever," sighed Ed in defeat.

"So, Jack," said Al to his nephew, "I hear you're learning alchemy." Jack nodded.

"Yep. Dad's teaching me. He says I'm an. . .apensis?" he asked struggling with the last word.

"Apprentice," Edward corrected. "Teaching him everything I know."

"Mind if I see you in action?" asked Al.

"Okay!" said Jack excitedly. He found a piece of paper and drew a transmutation circle on it. He clapped and out his hands on the circle transforming the paper into an origami swan. He picked it up and handed it to Al. "Is it good?" Al whistled.

"It's really good," said Al. May smiled and nodded.

"You're very talented, Jack," said May.

"He's definitely your son, Brother," said Al. Ed smiled proudly.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Pinako was able to come over and the family sat around the dinner table exchanging stories. Emma and Jack asked all sorts of questions to their aunt and uncle about Xing. Jack took a particular interest in asking about alkahestry which May was more than happy to discuss.

"Everyone, I have something to say," said Al as he stood up from his seat. The room became quiet as everyone turned their attention to the younger Elric brother. "I mentioned that there was a specific reason May and I came back to Resembool. Well," he held out his hand to May and helped her stand up. "May and I are expecting our first child." The stunned silence spoke volumes. Winry was the first to get over the shock as she got up and hugged May.

"I'm so happy for you two!" she told them. "You're going to be great parents.

"Thank you," said May.

"We found a house to rent not far from here," said Al. "We thought it was best to stay somewhere nice and quiet until the baby was born."

"Does Ling know you're gone?" asked Winry.

"It was his idea actually," said May. Winry and May continued to chat with each other and Pinako about the baby. Emma and Jack had even more questions now but were excited about becoming cousins. Ed looked over at Al who just seemed to be observing the conversations and not really getting involved.

"Hey, Al, could I ask you something up in the study?" asked Edward.

"Hm? Oh, sure," answered Al. The two brothers headed upstairs to the study. Ed shut the door behind them while Al started looking over the books on Ed's shelf. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"I think you know," said Ed. "You're nervous about becoming a dad aren't you?"

"Am I that obvious?" asked Al a little embarrassed.

"I've known you since you were a baby, Al. I can tell when you're nervous." Al just nodded as he continued to stare at the bookshelf. Ed smiled softly and put a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder.

"I think it's safe to say I'm scared rather than nervous," said Al. "I have no idea how to raise a child."

"I felt the same way when Winry said she was pregnant with Jack," said Ed. "I was terrified but I realized quickly I wasn't the only one. Winry was just as scared as I was, but we had each other to rely on. We also had trusted friends and family," he said giving Al a light tap on his arm.

"May doesn't seem scared at all though. She just seems so excited."

"I'm sure she is, but I'm pretty sure she's scared too. You're both going to need each other a lot in the coming months. Don't you go backing out."

"I don't plan on it, Brother," said Al. "I would never to that. I just need some time to process this."

"I get that, but just be sure our there for May when she needs you." Al just nodded. "Hey," said Ed. Al looked over at his brother. "I'm here for you too. I've got your back just like I always." Al smiled and hugged his brother.

"Thanks, Ed."


	5. Don't Be Late

This is a long one but one I've wanted to write for a while. Hope you all enjoy.

* * *

Don't Be Late

Edward was up just before the sunrise. He looked over at Winry who was still sound asleep. Quietly, Ed got up and got dressed. He quickly checked his watch. At least two hours before he actually had to leave. He was going out West again for at least a couple of months. It would be the longest he would ever be from his family since he was married. He sighed as he went downstairs and scanned the fridge for a suitable breakfast. He grabbed and orange and sat down at the kitchen table. As he peeled the orange, he felt a small furry creature rub against his legs. He looked down at Alley who meowed loudly once she had his attention.

"Sh! You'll wake everyone up, furball," whispered Ed. He got up and poured food in Alley's bowl. The little kitten ate happily as Ed scratched her ears. "I think I might even miss you, furball."

"Ed?" came a tired voice from the kitchen doorway. Ed looked over his shoulder and saw Winry rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "You okay?"

"Yeah," said Ed as he stood up. "Did I wake you?" Winry shook her head and pointed to the kitten. "She did." Ed glared at Alley who didn't seem to take any notice of them as she ate.

"You don't have to leave yet do you?" asked Winry. Ed shook his head and sat back down. Winry took a seat next to him and rested her head on his shoulder while he peeled his orange. "I'm going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you too," he said.

"How long do you think you'll be gone for?" asked Winry.

"I don't know. Hopefully, just a month if things go smoothly. Two months at most."

"That's a long time," said Winry.

"I was gone longer the last time I left," Ed mentioned.

"We weren't married with two children," said Winry. "Also, your brother wasn't getting ready to be a father himself and Granny hadn't gotten ill."

"Not really the best timing to have new alchemy discoveries out West being made, huh?" asked Ed.

"No, not really."

"I could stay if you want me to," said Ed.

"No, they're going to need you there."

"You need me here."

"We'll manage. Besides you'll be back if there's a big emergency right?"

"Right." Ed finished peeling the orange and split it in half. He gave one half to Winry while he ate the other half.

"Just don't forget to be back in time."

"Time for what?" asked Ed. Winry sat up and gave him a confused look. "What?"

"You know what happens in three months right?"

"Our anniversary was last month," said Ed.

"No, not that."

"Al and May aren't expecting the baby to be born prematurely are they?"

"Why would they expect that?" Ed just shrugged.

"Is it someone's birthday?" Winry nodded. "Is it your birthday?" Winry sighed and shook her head. Partly because he didn't remember whose birthday it was and partly because he wasn't exactly sure when her birthday was. "It's not Granny's birthday is it?"

"No," said Winry getting more frustrated. Ed just looked at her confused. "It's the kids' birthday!" she finally told him.

"Oooh, yeah," said Edward. "They share a birthday right?"

"Lucky for you, yes. I don't think your brain can handle remembering anymore dates."

"Jack is turning six, right?" Winry nodded. "And Emma's going to be five?" Winry nodded again. At least he remembered that much.

"You just be sure you're back in time. You already missed the last two birthdays." A wave of guilt passed over Ed as he recalled how he was forced to miss two consecutive birthday parties.

"Well, my trip should be over before their birthday. I promise I won't miss this one." He ate a slice of his orange.

"You better not," said Winry. The two chatted for a little while longer as they finished their fruit. Ed looked at his watch again. "I should finish up packing," he said as he got up.

"Okay," said Winry. Ed noticed she seemed a bit distraught. He gently grabbed her chin and directed it so she was facing him. He gently pressed his lips against hers. He pulled away and smiled lovingly.

"I love you," he told her.

"Love you too."

Finally, it was time for Ed to leave. He quickly made sure he had everything he needed as he stood by the front door. Winry stood in front of him and straightened out his coat.

"Make sure you keep your automail maintained," she told him Ed nodded.

"I know, I know. You give me this lecture every time I leave."

"And you forget this lecture every time you leave," she retorted. Ed just huffed. "You sure you don't want to say goodbye to the kids?"

"They're still asleep and I need to get going," said Edward. He picked up his suitcase and was about to head out the door when he and Winry heard tiny footsteps behind them. Ed turned around and saw his groggy children approach him.

"Are you leaving, Dad?" asked Jack. Ed knelt down in front of his children.

"For a while. Can you be the man of the house while I'm gone?" he asked. Jack nodded. Ed looked over at Emma who was too tired to speak. "I'm going to miss you two. Promise you'll both be good alright." Both children nodded and hugged their father.

"Love you, Dad," said Jack. Emma muttered something in agreement.

"Love you guys too," said Ed. He stood up, grabbed his things, and left. He walked down the dirt path to the train station as his family watched him from out the window.

_Two weeks _

Jack and Emma sat in the living room playing a board game. It was a rainy Saturday morning. Why did it always seem to rain on Saturdays? It was quiet as the two children played. Winry watched from the couch. She could tell her children were upset. They weren't used to Edward being gone for this long. Usually he was gone for just about a week and then he was right back home. The idea that he was going to be gone for months on end didn't sit well with them.

_One month_

Edward entered the apartment he was renting during his stay in the West. He threw his suitcase on the bed and sat down at the small desk in the bedroom. On the desk was the picture Emma had drawn or him in a nice wooden frame he got for it and the small stone duck Jack created as his first transmutation. Ed smiled as he thought of his family. With luck he'd be back soon.

_Month and a half_

"Hey, Emma, do you know where your brother is?" asked Al. He was babysitting his niece and nephew while Winry and May were out running errands. Emma was in the living room playing with Alley but Jack was surprisingly absent.

"He might be upstairs," replied Emma. Al notice his niece seemed a rather uninterested in what was going on around her.

"What's up?" he asked. Emma stopped playing with the cat and looked up at her uncle.

"Is Daddy going to come back?" she asked. Al sighed and grabbed his niece and set her on his lap.

"You trust me Emma?" he asked. Emma gave him a confused look but nodded. "Then believe me when I say your dad is coming back. He'd never abandon his family."

"But didn't your daddy leave?" asked Emma. The words stung as Al thought of the day his father left.

"That's exactly the reason your dad would never leave you," said Al. "I know my brother, and trust me he wants nothing more than to come back." Emma nodded and leaned against her uncle.

"I still miss him."

"I know, kiddo. I know."

_2 months_

It was late when Ed was finally able to get home. He was tired but he needed to call his family. He had been too busy to get any sort of word to them but right now he had to call them. There was a phone at the front desk of the apartment building he was staying at. He put the receiver up to his ear and dialed home. It just rang for a moment.

_C'mon, pick up. _

A couple more rings.

_Someone pick up._

Finally, someone answered.

"Hello?" came the tired voice of his wife.

"Winry," said Ed overjoyed to hear his wife's voice.

"Ed?" asked Winry seeming to wake up. "Where are you? Are you coming home soon?"

"Yeah, about that," Edward said nervously. "Our research has made an interesting breakthrough. Their asking us to stay for a couple more weeks." There was no response. "Winry?"

"Are you ever actually coming home?" asked Winry. She'd probably hit him with a wrench if she could.

"In theory I should be home in time for the kids' birthday."

"In theory?" she repeated. "And what if they ask you to stay longer?"

"I'll think of something," said Ed. It was silent on the other line for a moment.

"The kids really miss you."

"Yeah."

"_I _miss you."

"I miss you too. Like you wouldn't believe."

"Just. . .be back soon" she said. Ed was about to respond but the line went dead. He sighed and hung up the phone. Slowly, he trudged up the stairs to his room.

"Mr. Elric, I just wanted to say how much we appreciate your assistance in our research these past three months," said one of Edward's employers, a rotund bald man whose name Ed could never remember.

"U-huh," said Ed dryly. He didn't mean to be so rude, but he was dying to get home as soon as possible and this guy just seemed to keep on and on and on.

"Without you we would not have made such an incredible breakthrough," said the fat man. Ed had to refrain from wincing as he was reminded that it was his own fault rather than that of his bosses that he was forced to stay another month. Sometimes he really hated himself.

"Yep," said Ed, hoping his bluntness would tip the man off to stop talking.

"Is there any chance we could persuade you to stay longer?" Ed wanted to say something along the lines of 'YOU-ALREADY-FORCED-ME-TO-STAY-BEHIND-AND-NOW-I'M-ABOUT-TO-MISS-MY-KIDS'-BIRTHDAY-FOR-THE-THIRD-TIME-IN-A-ROW-SO-NO-AND-GO-ON-A-DIET-YOU-FAT-SLOB!'

He opted to simply say, "No, thanks," instead.

"How unfortunate. Well, if you are ever looking for more work, we'd be more than happy to offer you a more permanent position."

"I'm fine as is," Ed replied. He quickly shook the man's hand, and left. It took every fiber of his being to not bolt into a mad dash to his apartment.

Once home he checked his calendar. It was five days until Jack and Emma's birthday. He looked at his watch. Nearly three hours before his train. _Perhaps I could get a quick nap in. I'm exhausted._ He made sure all of his things were packed but something at the back of his mind kept telling him he was forgetting something.

"Presents!" he said aloud. He literally smacked himself for his own stupidity. It would take three days just to get to Central and another two to get back to Resembool. If was going to buy presents, it had to be now. "So much for getting any sleep."

The day of the kids' birthday had finally come but neither was terribly thrilled at all. Winry sighed as she attempted to console her children.

"Come on you guys. Your friends are going to be here soon and they aren't going to want to see you all sad." Jack didn't really seem to notice her talking but Emma looked up at her.

"Is Daddy going to come?" she asked. Jack just huffed.

"I'm sure he'll be back very soon," she said a bit unconvincingly. Again Jack just huffed. "Jack, are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine," he lied.

"Jack-"

"I said I'm fine!" he snapped. He quickly faced away from Winry as he tried to wipe the tears welling up in his eyes. Winry noticed Emma starting to cry too.

"Hey, come here," said Winry as she pulled both kids into a hug. "I promise your dad will be back very soon," she said this time believing her own words. "And when he does, Mommy's going to give him the biggest bump on the head with her wrench as she can." That managed to illicit a small chuckle from both children. There was a knock on the door and voices could be heard outside. "Your friends are here. Can you at least try to have a little fun today? For my sake."

"Okay," said Emma. Jack just nodded in response. Winry got up to answer the door. _If you aren't home soon Edward, I may just hunt you dawn and kill you with the wrench._

The party went by smoothly. Both Jack and Emma put on a happy face for their guests and Winry. She gave both kids a larger slice of cake than she normally would as a reward. Finally, the guests left much to Winry's relief and she and her kids sat in the living room looking over the various presents they received. They had both gotten things they liked but neither seemed happy enough to enjoy them. Winry sat between her two children on the floor and gave each of them a kiss on the head.

"I'm glad you two tried to have a little fun today."

"We said we would for you, Mommy," said Emma. Jack didn't reply. Winry grabbed his chin and gently guided his face so he was looking at her.

"Any chance I could see you smile today?" she asked. "I don't like seeing you so down all the time." Jack just stared at her for a moment before finally giving her a big goofy grin that looked a lot like his father's. Winry laughed and hugged her son tightly. "Much better." Outside the three thought they could hear something yapping.

"What's that?" asked Emma.

"I don't know," answered Winry. "Sounds like a dog." She got up to look out the window by the front door. She could have sworn the yapping was getting louder. Just as she reached the door, someone knocked. "Who could that be?" She opened it to reveal Edward standing there struggling to hold his bags in one hand and a squirming puppy in the other.

"So. . .um. . .how late am I?" he asked. Winry just stared at him with her mouth agape. She struggled to find anything at all to say.

"Daddy!" shouted Emma as she looked down the hall and saw her father. Ed quickly put his bags down and hugged Emma as she ran up to him.

"Hey, Angel! I missed you," he said. Emma giggled and then looked over at the little black puppy in her dad's other arm.

"Who's that for?" she asked.

"For you guys, silly," said Edward. Emma gasped then grabbed the puppy and took him to the living room. Ed stood up and looked at Winry who had managed to close her mouth. Ed smiled and hugged her. It took a moment for her hug him back. "So am I in trouble?"

"You will be," she told him. "Later. Right now I think you should speak to your son." Ed gave her a confused look. "He's been taking your absence the hardest I think." Ed nodded as he grabbed a paper bag that Winry was sure he didn't take with him when he left. Ed went into the living room where Jack held the puppy while Emma tried to introduce Alley to him. The two animals just sniffed at each other until the puppy suddenly barked. Alley hissed and rushed behind Edward's legs. He chuckled as he bent to down to pet the kitten.

"You got to learn to stop being so scared of everything, furball." Alley purred as Ed scratched her ears. Ed could have sworn she had gotten bigger. He looked up at Jack who was staring at him like he was a ghost. Ed smiled as he sat in front of his son. "Hey, buddy."

Jack didn't reply.

"You guys share the dog but I got you both something you can keep for yourselves." He pulled out a book of transmutation circles and handed it to jack.

"What did you get me?" asked Emma.

"For you," said Ed putting his hand into the bag. "I got this." He pulled out a box that contained a model car she could put together. Emma practically squealed as she grabbed the box and showed it off to her mom. Ed looked back at Jack who was still staring at him. Ed cleared his throat. "I took a little longer than I thought, huh?"

Jack nodded a bit.

"I'm sorry," said Ed. "I really am. If there's any way I can make it up-Oof!" he grunted as his son hugged him and held on to him as tight as he could.

"I thought you weren't going to come back," said Jack. Ed smiled as he hugged his son.

"I'll always come back," he said. He grabbed Emma and pulled her into the hug as well. "No matter how far I go or how long I'm gone, I will always come back."

"Promise?" asked both kids.

"Absolutely." Both kids smiled as they hugged him. Winry smiled softly as she watched them.

Later that night, both kids were put to bed. They had both argued who the puppy, now named Shadow, would sleep with they agreed to sleep in the living room where they could both share him for the first night. Ed went up to his room exhausted. He was about to plop down in his bed when Winry stood in his way.

"I'm in trouble now, huh?" he asked.

"Big trouble," she told him. Ed looked at her to see if she had the wrench but noticed it was surprisingly absent.

"No wrench?"

"Had to get rid of it. To dented up from hitting your thick skull." Ed laughed. "So I guess you get off easy tonight." She told him.

"Hold that thought," said Ed as he left the room. A few moments later he was back with the paper bag from earlier. He reached in and pulled out a bright shiny new wrench with a big red bow on it. "Peace offering?" he asked sheepishly. Winry was dumbfounded. She grabbed the wrench and pulled the bow off. "So are you still going to hit me?"

Winry sighed. A part of her wanted to him as hard as she could. The other part realized his absence hurt him as much as it did her and the kids. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him instead.

"Not what I expected," said Ed surprised.

"I can still hit you if you want."

"No, no, this is good," said Ed returning the hug.

"I'm glad you're home. I missed you so much."

"I missed you too. Love you."

"Love you too."


	6. Kai and Bryan

Here's a new chapter. It's more Al and May centered. Hope you all enjoy

* * *

Kai and Bryan

"I like the name Bryan," said May.

"Really?" asked Al.

"Yes. Why? Do you not like it?" Al shrugged.

"It's alright I guess."

"If you don't like it you can just say so," said May annoyed.

"I didn't say I didn't like it," defended Al.

"Well then why do seem opposed to it?" Al sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. May had gotten quite irritable since she got pregnant. Granted, he expected it. Both Ling and Ed warned him it would happen, but it was one thing to be told about it and another to experience it. May had started to take offence to the most trivial things to the point where Al thought he could so much as sneeze without May getting mad at him. Also the really weird cravings at odd hours of the night and the morning sickness were new to him as well. But easily the most frustrating part was picking out names. This was something they had been arguing about since day one and for the life of them they could _not_ agree.

"You know this might be a little easier if we knew what gender the baby was," suggested Al for what seemed like the millionth time. Being surprised about whether the baby was a boy or girl was also something May was very adamant about. Al never liked the idea of being surprised. Unlike Ed, Al preferred to plan ahead and be prepared rather than just dive headfirst into things with little thought.

"Don't change the subject," said May. "If you don't like Bryan than what do you prefer?"

"Hm? I don't know. I kind of like Kai. May pondered the suggestion for a moment.

"I think Kai is a nice name," she said. Al breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, they agreed on something. _Maybe she'll calm down now._

"You do?" asked Al.

"Is there some reason I wouldn't?" asked May starting to become annoyed again. Al mentally smacked himself. _I just had to ask didn't I?_

"No, no, I mean it's just, uh. . ."

"Yes?"

"Well, it's the first time we've actually agreed on a name." said Al. May thought for a moment then sighed when she realized he was right.

"It is isn't it? It's my fault. I've been much too irritable lately." Her voice cracked as he spoke and her eyes started to tear up. Al was at her side in an instant trying to console her.

"No, you haven't," said Al wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"You're not a very good liar." Al just chuckled nervously. "You don't hate me do you?" she asked.

"What? No! Never! Why would you think that?"

"You've just seem so annoyed with me lately," she said bluntly. Al smacked himself again.

"I'm sorry," said Al. "I haven't been the most patient myself I guess."

"You're too modest," May told him. "You've been absolutely wonderful this whole time." Al smiled.

"And you're not nearly as bad as I've heard some women are when they're pregnant."

"There are worse?"

"I heard Winry threw her wrenches at Ed a lot more than she usually does. Ed said they argued a lot more too."

"How has your brother managed to not have numerous concussions with all the wrenches to his head?"

"He has a _really_ thick skull. I'm convinced the weight of it was why he was so short for so long." The two laughed at Ed's expense. They laughed even harder when they thought of what Ed's reaction would be to the comment.

"He probably say 'WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT A CRUMB IS A BOULDER COMPARED TO HIM?!'" said May mocking Ed's voice.

"Then Winry would probably say 'Stop yelling and drink your milk'" said Al in a high pitched voice making May laugh again.

"Then Ed would reply 'QUIT TRYING TO POISON ME WITH THAT CRAP YOU CRAZY GEARHEAD!'"

"And then Winry would hit him with the wrench," said Al.

"It always comes back to the wrench," laughed May. Al just nodded in agreement, laughing too hard to answer. Finally the laughing died down and the two caught their breath. "They'd probably kill us if they heard us making fun of them," said May.

"Yeah, probably. Which is why this should be our little secret." He put his hand on May's belly. "That includes you, kiddo." May chuckled. She found it adorable whenever Al spoke to the baby.

"Do you ever wonder if we'll make good parents?" asked May suddenly.

Al smiled and pulled her closer. "I think about it often," he admitted. "I try not to let it scare me though. I can't say for sure if we'll be perfect but I _can_ say we'll try our best." May nodded and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"At least neither of us will do it alone right?" asked May. Al chuckled and kissed the top of her head.

"Absolutely."

* * *

Later that night, Al and May slept comfortably in their bed. They had talked about what names they liked a little more but decided they could work on that later. Al spent the rest of the day putting finishing touches on the baby's room and making sure May was comfortable. He was glad when he was finally able to get some sleep. He noticed it was the first time in a while when May wasn't waking up sick or having weird cravings. It was just a simple peaceful night.

Al woke up and shifted uncomfortably. _Why does the bed feel wet?_

"Um, Alphonse?" asked May.

"Yeah?"

"The baby's coming."

"What? Now?"

"No, tomorrow. Yes, now!"

"Right, sorry!" said Al practically leaping out of bed. He got dressed and quickly helped May get dressed as well. He helped her get to their car and drove her to the hospital. Needless to say, both were stressed and panicky. "Someone help! My wife's going to labor!" shouted Al as they entered the hospital. A nurse came with a wheelchair and helped May get in it. Al walked with them to the operating room but was stopped just in front of it by the doctor.

"Excuse me, Mr. Elric but I must ask you to stay out here," said the doctor.

"What? But I-"

"I know you want to be in there but I'm afraid you would just be in the way."

"Alphonse," called May from inside the room. Al looked over the doctor's shoulder at his wife. She smiled softly at him. "Do what the doctor says. I'll be fine." Unwillingly, Al nodded in submission.

"A-alright. Just take care of her."

"We will," assured the doctor. "Perhaps now would be a good time to call any nearby family, yes?"

"Yeah," was all Al could manage in response. The doctor nodded and went into the operating room, closing the door behind him. Al went to the front desk of the hospital and approached the nurse behind it. "Is there a phone I can borrow?"

* * *

Ed and Winry were still up, both pulling all-nighters. Ed was busy getting his report ready to give to Fuhrer Mustang on his next trip to Central and Winry was working on a job for a customer. Ed decided to study in Winry's workshop so they could keep each other awake and focused. Alley sat comfortably in Ed's lap while Shadow chewed loudly on a bone from dinner earlier.

_RING!_

Ed and Winry both looked up from their work. "Was that the phone?" asked Winry.

_RING!_

"Yep," answered Ed as he put Alley on the floor. He stood up and headed out of the room. "I wonder who's calling."

"If they're selling something, hang up," instructed Winry. Ed chuckled. He headed downstairs and into the living room where he answered the phone.

"Elric residence," said Edward fighting back a yawn.

"Brother?" came a voice on the other end of the line.

"Al?" asked Ed. "Why are you calling so late?"

"It's May," answered Al. He sounded like he was panicking. "She went into labor."

"What?" asked Ed quickly waking up.

"Could you come to the hospital? I need someone to calm me down and I know May would appreciate you coming over."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be right there."

"Thanks, Brother." Al hung up before Ed could reply. Ed hung up the phone and quickly made his way back to Winry's workshop.

"May's having her kid," said Ed bluntly. Winry looked over her shoulder with a shocked expression on her face.

"She is?"

"Yeah, I'm heading over to the hospital. Al's losing it."

"I'm coming too," said Winry.

"What about the kids?" Winry stopped in her tracks. She was about to say to get Pinako to watch them but Pinako had passed away about a month ago. Winry was still getting used to that. She thought for a moment before shrugging her shoulders.

"Take them along I guess," she said.

"Are you sure?" asked Ed. "I thought they get cranky when they don't get enough sleep."

"Do you have a better idea?" Ed just stared at her for a moment.

"I'll get Jack if you get Emma," said Ed heading to his son's room.

* * *

Al paced in front of the operating room. It had already been an hour. He heard childbirth could be a long process. He hoped May wasn't in too much pain.

"Al," a voice called to him. He looked up and saw Ed walk up to him holding a sleeping Emma. Winy followed behind holding on to a very tired Jack's hand.

"Glad you came," said Al. "I'm sorry I called so late."

"It's fine," said Winry. "Is May alright?"

"The doctor's with her now," answered Al.

"Is Aunt May having her baby, Uncle Al?" asked Jack groggily.

"Yep, she sure is," said Al. He was shaking nervously. Ed put a calming hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Easy, Al. She's going to be alright. Is it Doc Lewis in there with her?" Al shook his head.

"No, Dr. Booths I think."

"Oh."

"What?" asked Al starting to panic.

"Nothing," said Winry putting a hand over Ed's mouth. Al just nodded and continued pacing. Ed leaned over to whisper in Winry's ear.

"We not going to tell him it was Booths who once lost both a mother and her kid that one time?"

"There were complications he couldn't help," Winry told him. "And he's delivered plenty of babies successfully. He delivered Jack remember?"

"Still, shouldn't we-"

"Al's already nervous," interrupted Winry. "Don't make it worse."

* * *

Another five hours passed. Al was still pacing back and forth. Winry was sitting down with Emma in her lap and Jack leaning against Winry. Both kids were sound asleep. Ed leaned against the wall trying to calm his brother down.

"Al, would you please just sit down?" asked Ed for what seemed like the millionth time.

"I told you, I can't. I'm too nervous. What if something goes wrong?"

"Oh, don't start this again," whined Ed.

"Al, it's going to be fine. Dr. Booths has done this numerous times," said Winry.

"I know, I know, but-" He was interrupted by the door to the operating room opening. Dr. Booths stepped out.

"Mr. Elric?" he asked looking at Al. "Would you like to meet your children?" Al nodded and followed the doctor. Ed looked over at Winry.

"Children? As in more than one?" he asked. Winry shrugged. "Should we go in?"

"Give them a minute," said Winry.

* * *

Al smiled when he saw May was alright. Tired and sweaty, but alright. She was holding a small bundle in her arms. She looked up at Al and smiled at him. "Look, Alphonse. One of our little boys."

"One of them?" asked Al. Suddenly, one of the nurses handed him another baby. Al remembered the doctor said _children_. "Twins?" he asked.

"Congratulations," said the doctor. Al was speechless. When he and May agreed to be surprised about the baby, this isn't exactly what he had in mind. "We'll give you two a moment," said the doctor. He and the nurses left leaving Al and May alone. Al took pulled up a seat next to his wife and sat down. He took a good look at his sons. They were perfectly identical. Short, barely visible black hair like May's and golden eyes like his own.

"Twins," he said again.

"I know," said May. She gave Al a concerned look. "Are you alright?"

"What? Oh, yeah," he said looking at the baby in his arms. He smiled as his son yawned. "Couldn't be better. You?"

"Same," she said as she held her other son close to her. "How will we tell them apart?" asked May.

"Maybe we should buy them collars," joked Al. May gave a tired laugh. "So you name him," he said nodding his head towards the twin May was holding, "and I'll name this little guy," he said cuddling the little boy in his arms.

"That seems fair," said May. "Hello, Kai," she cooed at the baby she was cradaling. Al smiled and looked at the baby he was holding.

"Your mom took the name I was going to use, Bryan," he said to the baby.

"I thought you didn't like that name," said May a little confused.

"He looks like a Bryan," said Al. "You think it fits?" May nodded.

"Do you mind if I hold Bryan?" she asked. Al stood up and gently handed Bryan to her. "Would you like to hold Kai?" she asked. Al nodded as he took his second son into his arms. "They look a lot like you."

"Sorry about that guys," said Al. May rolled her eyes. "They look like you too." The door opened revealing Ed, Winry, and the kids.

"Hey, you two," said Ed.

"How are you feeling, May?" asked Winry.

"Tired," answered May. Winry nodded in understanding. Emma approached May's bedside while Jack stood by Al.

"Are these your babies?" asked Jack.

"They are," answered May.

"You had two?" asked Emma.

"Your Uncle's an overachiever," joke Ed. He was rewarded by Winry elbowing him the ribs.

"What are their names?" asked Jack.

"This is Kai," answered Al looking at the baby in his arms.

"And I'm holding Bryan," answered May.

"Those are nice names," said Emma.

"Thank you."

"Well, Little Brother," said Ed as he walked up to his brother and patted him on the back. "Congrats on entering the world of parenthood."

"Thanks," said Al.

* * *

I can't help but feel I handled Pinako's death really lousily. Sorry about that.


	7. Little Mechanic

Thanks to those who gave me suggestions. You gave me a couple of ides to work with. Now on with the story. I apologize for my lousy automail description.

* * *

Little Mechanic

Emma stood in the doorway of the study watching her father and brother reading and studying alchemy together. Edward had put up a second desk in the room to give Jackson his own workspace. Both had their backs turned to the door and didn't even seem to notice Emma. The little girl gave a sigh as she decided to leave the two be. She hated those days when everyone else but her had something to do. She sighed again as she passed by her mother's workshop.

"Something wrong, sweetie?" asked a voice from inside the room. Emma looked into the shop and saw her mother looking over her shoulder at her as she sat at her worktable.

"Hm?" asked Emma.

"I heard you sigh," explained Winry. "Is something wrong?"

"Jack is studying again," said Emma.

"Is that bad?" asked Winry confused. Emma shrugged.

"I guess not, but there's no one to play with."

"I see," said Winry. "Well, why don't you come over here and help me?"

"Really?"

"Sure, come here," said Winry. Emma approached her mother who picked her up and set her on her lap. Emma looked at the automail arm her mother was busy with. It was missing the outer casing letting Emma see inside of it. There was a large wire connecting the hand to the shoulder. The hand was missing the fingers. Winry picked up a smaller green wire. She connected one end to the elbow and tightened it in place with a small wrench. She handed the other end to Emma. "See that middle screw sticking out of the wrist?"

"Yes," answered Emma.

"Can you put this end of the wire on it for me?" Emma nodded and did as she was told. "Now tighten it," instructed Winry. Emma did as she was told and tightened the wire in place.

"Like that?" asked Emma.

"Exactly. Good job," complimented Winry. Emma smiled. The two installed two more similar wires. "Now put the fingers in."

"Okay," said Emma as she grabbed an automail thumb. She looked at the hand and found the holes where the fingers were meant to be inserted. She was about to install it when Winry stopped her.

"Wrong side, honey," chuckled Winry. "It's supposed to be a right hand not a left."

"Oops," said Emma as she put the thumb into the correct spot. "Sorry."

"It's alright. That's why I'm here." Emma smiled as she went back to work. The two spent the next hour putting the arm together. Emma seemed to be enjoying herself much to Winry's delight. Ed shouldn't be the only parent to get to pass down their treasured skills to their children. Finally, the arm was completed as Winry tightened the last screw in with a screwdriver.

"All done," said Winry. She ruffled her daughter's hair. "You did really well."

"Mom, not my hair!" said Emma as she tried to make her hair neat again.

"Sorry," laughed Winry. "You really did do a good job though."

"Thanks," said Emma. She looked over the arm she and her mother completed and smiled. It did look pretty good.

"What are you doin'?" Emma and Winry turned around in their seat and saw Jack walking into the room. Emma grabbed the arm and held it up.

"I helped Mommy work on automail," said Emma proudly.

"So I guess it won't work then?" teased Jack with a smug grin on his face. He suddenly fell backwards when a wrench made contact above his left brow.

"Emma!" scolded Winry.

"He was being mean!" protested Emma. "And you hit Daddy with the wrench all the time."

"That's different."

"What's different?" asked Ed as he stepped into the room. He looked down and saw a dazed Jack lying on the floor. "Oh, I know that feeling. Put some ice on it, that'll help." Jack moaned. "I thought you just hit me with the wrench," he said looking at Winry.

"It was Emma actually," replied Winry.

"Oh, great another gearhead," mumbled Ed. He quickly found himself lying next to Jack with his own bruise.

"Mom!" said Emma.

"I'm the mom I'm allowed to throw the wrench."

"So, why is Jack on the floor?" asked Ed as he sat up. Emma was surprised how quickly he recovered. Jack moaned again.

"He made fun the automail I helped Mommy with," said Emma as she climbed of her mother's lap and ran up to Ed. "You don't think it's bad do you?" she asked a she handed him the arm. Ed took it and examined it.

"Looks pretty good to me," said Ed. "You're quite the little mechanic." Emma giggled at the compliment.

"What happened?" asked Jack as he sat up. He rolled his head as he looked around the room. "Why is everything spinning?"

"That's what you get for making fun of my automail!" shouted Emma. Jack groaned and covered his ears.

"Too loud!" whined Jack.

"I think you might have hit him too hard," said Winry.

"Give him a minute," said Ed. Jack rubbed his bruise and blinked a few times before becoming reoriented with his surroundings. He noticed his sister and glared.

"I was only joking you stupid gear head!" he shouted.

"What'd you say?!" Emma shouted back as she grabbed her wrench.

"Ah! Get away from me!" Jack bolted out of the room with Emma hot on his heels.

"Hey you two, knock it off!" Winry shouted after them. "Ed, say something!"

"Don't break anything, kids!" Ed shouted over his shoulder.

"Not what I meant," said Winry annoyed.

"Look," said Ed as he stood up, "they're just going to keep going at until they wear themselves down. It's what we did when we were kids."

"Were we really that bad?" asked Winry.

"Oh, please, it was much worse. You usually left me bleeding when you hit me. Jack's lucky to just get off with a bruise." Winry laughed and nodded in agreement.

"Mommy, Daddy, Jack transmuted my wrench into sand!" shouted Emma from downstairs.

"Only because you wouldn't stop chasing me!" Jack protested.

"When did it get so loud in this house?" asked Winry as she rubbed her temples. Ed smiled as he reached out a hand to help her up out of her chair.

"About the time we got the stupid idea to make clones of ourselves," said Ed. Winry half-heartedly punched him the arm.

"C'mon, we better go stop them before the house gets destroyed."


	8. Trip to Central

Sorry for the long wait. I'll try and be better about that.

* * *

Trip to Central

Spring break had made its way to Risembool. Jack and Emma were all too excited to be let out of school for a week. The two headed home as soon as the bell to let school out rang.

"I can't wait!" squealed Emma with a spring in her step. Jack rolled his eyes. Winry was taking Emma to Rush Valley during Spring Break and she would not shut up about it.

"Yep," said Jack. At this point he was simply answering out of politeness hoping she would eventually stop talking.

"Mom says that there's going to be this big convention while we're there too!"

"Uh-huh." _I wonder what's for dinner._

"Mom says that she was an apprentice to this guy named Garfiel. He must be really good if Mom trained under him."

"Must be." _I hope it's stew. I want stew._

"Maybe I can get a new wrench to beat you over the head with."

"Sounds good. Wait, what?"

"Ha! I knew it! You were ignoring me," said Emma giving him an irritated look.

"You've been talking about this trip for almost a week. I get it. You're excited. Give it a rest please."

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry." It was quiet for a moment as they continued walking towards their house. "So what are you and Dad going to do while we're gone?" Emma asked.

"Goodbye, peaceful silence. I'll miss you," said Jack.

"You know I carry the wrench in my backpack right," warned Emma. Their house started coming into view.

"Yeah, yeah," said Jack waving her off. "I don't know what Dad and I are going to do. I guess we'll just wing it or something."

"You'll probably just end up reading those boring alchemy books."

"Better than staring at scrap metal all day," retorted Jack. Emma was about to say something when a small black blur ran up and tackled Jack to the ground. Jack moaned as Shadow began licking him. "You know this has gotten less cute now that you're bigger," said Jack as he sat up and pushed Shadow off of him. The once small puppy had grown up to just above Jack's knee and for some reason had taken a liking to tackling his beloved master.

"Hey, Shadow," said Emma as she started scratching the dog's ears. Shadow barked happily and licked her.

"Why does he never tackles you?" asked Jack.

"Because he's a gentleman and doesn't attack ladies. Right, cutie?" Emma asked the panting dog. Shadow rolled over on his back letting Emma scratch his chest.

"Ugh, whatever. I'm going to go see if there's anything to eat." Jack stood up and ran to the house. He threw his backpack on the couch barely missing the cat who hissed in protest. Jack ignored her as he went into the kitchen where Winry was making dinner. Jack could smell it. _Mmm, stew._ "Mom is there-"

"Cookies are on the table if you want some," said Winry. Jack could swear she was a mind reader. "Don't eat too many."

"Yes ma'am." Jack sat at the table and grabbed a cookie. They were freshly baked. Jack moaned in delight as he ate the chewy delicacy. He was about to eat a second one when Ed walked into the kitchen.

"Good you're home," Ed said to Jack. He sat across from Jack and grabbed the cookie he was about to eat. "So I have good news and bad news."

"You eating my cookie being the bad news?" asked Jack. Ed shook his head.

"The bad news being I got a call from Mustang and I need to head over to Central."

"Oh," said Jack. He hung his head a bit trying not to look too upset. He was looking forward to spending a week with just himself and his dad.

"The good news, however." Jack looked up. "Is that I decided to take you along."

"Really?" asked Jack getting excited.

"Yep. I figured since it was break and Emma gets to got Rush Valley, I'd take you along with me. You want to go?"

"Yeah, yeah, when do we leave?"

"Early tomorrow morning so go get packed up, okay?"

"Okay!" said Jack as he ran out of the room. He bumped into Emma as she entered the kitchen.

"What's with you?"

"I'm going to Central!"

Two days later, Jack found himself getting off the train. His mom was right, those seats were downright uncomfortable. Jack looked around the station. He had never seen so many people in one place. Even at the one small town in Risembool it wasn't this crowded.

"There are so many people," said Jack.

"Yep, so stay close," instructed Edward as he held out his hand to his son.

"Okay," answered Jack as he grabbed his dad's hand. Jack adjusted the grip he had on the small suitcase his dad had gotten for him to carry his things in as he walked out of the station with his dad and out into the city.

"Whoooaah," said Jack as he looked around. Central was huge. Like a forest of buildings.

"Pretty cool, huh?" asked Edward. Jack just nodded. "Okay, first off we need to head to the hotel to drop out stuff off then later tonight the Fuhrer has invited us to dinner."

"I thought this was a work trip?" asked Jack.

"It is, but Mustang wants to catch up. It's been a while since we've just chatted."

"Oh," said Jack. "Are you friends with the Fuhrer?"

"More or less."

"Coool," said Jack. His dad just became that much more awesome. Ed smiled as he led Jack to the hotel.

That evening, Ed and Jack found themselves in front of the Fuhrer's mansion. Jack looked with wide-eyed shock at the large estate. _Someone has this big of a place all to themself?_ Ed knocked the door snapping Jack's attention back to reality.

"So, how long have you known the Fuhrer?" asked Jack.

"I've known since before he became Fuhrer."

"Really?"

"Yep. Used to make his life a living nightmare," said Ed with a mischievous smile on his face.

"Wouldn't you get in trouble?" asked Jack worriedly.

"Nah," answered Ed. He knocked on the door again. "Geez, what's keeping him?" He knocked again and was finally answered by a man with black hair.

"I heard you the first time, Fullmetal," said the man.

"You could've answered then," said Ed.

"I thought you could use a little lesson in patience," said the man with a smug smirk.

"Well you weren't keeping just me waiting," said Ed placing a hand on Jack's shoulder. The man looked down at Jack.

"It seems I wasn't. Roy Mustang" He held out a hand to Jack who nervously took it. The man smiled. "No need to be so nervous."

"Uh, r-right. Um, p-pleased to meet you, Fuhrer Mustang."

"No need to be so formal. Just call me Roy. And you are?"

"J-Jackson Elric, sir. But, um, you can just call me Jack if you want."

"Alright, Jack," said Roy kindly. "Come on in?" Roy stood to the side and let his two guests come in. He had the butler take their coats. Ed whistled as he looked around the mansion.

"Doing pretty well for yourself, eh, Roy?" asked Ed.

"I manage," said Roy. "Come on. Riza and Lauren are waiting in the family room with our other guests."

"Others? Who else did you invite?" asked Ed as he and Jack followed Mustang. They stopped by a large door.

"Oh, you'll see," said Roy with a devious smile as he opened the door.

"Edward Elric!" shouted a loud deep voice. Ed suddenly found himself in a bone-crushing hug by Armstrong.

"Gah! Armstrong! Can't breathe! Can't breathe!" said Ed as he tried to struggle free of Armstrong's grip.

"It's such a pleasure to see you again old friend!" said Armstrong ignoring Edward's pleas. "It has been much too long!"

"Roy," said a pretty blond woman as she approached the four of them. "Could you perhaps tell Alex to let Ed go?"

"In a minute," said Roy. "I'm enjoying this." The woman shot him a glare that seemed to strike terror in Mustang's soul. "Alright. Hey, Armstrong I think Ed needs to breathe."

"Hm? Oh, my apologies Edward Elric," said Armstrong as he put Ed down. Ed didn't answer as he was too busy trying to catch his breath. Armstrong then noticed Jack and knelt down in front of him so he was looking him in the eye. "And who is this young man?"

"That's. . .my son. . .Jack," said Ed between breaths.

"Pleasure to meet you, Jack," said Armstrong holding out his hand for Jack to shake. Nervously, Jack extended his own hand and hoped Armstrong didn't crush it. Surprisingly, the large man was quite gentle when shaking the boy's hand.

"Um, nice to meet you too, sir," replied Jack.

"It's good to see you again, Edward," Riza said to Ed.

"Same here. Managing to keep our illustrious Fuhrer in line?"

"I try," chuckled Riza.

"If we're done poking fun at me, could we perhaps enter the living room?" asked Roy. The others nodded in agreement as Mustang showed them all in. Jack was surprised at how big the room was. Half the rooms at the Elric's home in Risembool could probably fit in here.

"Hello," greeted a new voice. Jack quickly snapped back to reality as he noticed a young girl who looked a lot like Riza except with black hair look at him. "My name's Lauren."

"I'm Jackson, but you may call me Jack."

"It's nice to meet you Jack," said Lauren with a smile.

"Are you Roy and Riza's daughter?"

"Yes. You're Mr. Elric's son, correct?" Jack nodded in response. Lauren was really polite. Definitely more polite than his sister. _She's pretty too. What? Where'd that come from?_ He quickly shook the thought from his mind.

"Greetings!" came a loud voice. Jack suddenly found himself standing before a miniature version of Armstrong minus the mustache and with light brown hair rather than blond. "My name is Daniel Lawrence Armstrong!" He grabbed Jack's hand and was practically crushing it as he shook it vigorously.

"J-Jack Elric," was all the young Elric could get out. He swore this kid was trying to rip his arm off.

"Yes, son of the great Edward Elric. Such a pleasure to meet you!"

"Danny, you're going to hurt him if you're not careful!" warned Lauren.

"A little late for that!" added Jack.

"Oh, my apologies," said Daniel as he let go of Jack's arm. Jack rubbed his sore hand and shoulder. "Oh, come now. I wasn't shaking your arm that hard."

"You could shake it harder?!" asked Jack taking a small step back. Lauren giggled at the exchange. The adults simply smiled at their children.

"I'm glad you were able to visit, Fullmetal," said Roy. "You should really bring the whole family some time."

"Yeah, but I'm glad I could at least bring Jack. I think this'll be a fun trip for him."

Finally, the time came for Ed and Jack to take their leave. Lauren said goodbye to Jack and said she hoped to see him again which for some reason made his heart skip a beat. Ed got some paperwork from Mustang to look over much to the elder Elric's irritation. Ed hailed a cab and he and Jack got in and headed to the hotel. Ed looked at the papers Mustang gave him. It was quiet for a while.

"Your friends are really nice," said Jack finally breaking the silence.

"Riza and Armstrong are good people. Mustang can be a jerk sometimes still."

"Can't you get in trouble for saying that?" asked Jack.

"Mustang isn't one to get bent out shape over a little insult. Besides, I've known him for years so I can get away with saying a lot of things to him."

"Oh."

"So you seemed to be getting along well with Daniel and Lauren."

"Yeah, they're both nice. My hand is still sore though. Daniel has a hard grip."

"Definitely takes after his dad in that regard," said Ed. "But I noticed you seemed to be hitting off particularly well with Lauren," teased Ed.

"Wh-what do you mean?" asked Jack.

"You stuttering?"

"N-no, shut up!" shouted Jack, embarrassed.

"You like her?"

"Huh? No! Girls are dumb!" said Jack defensively. Ed only laughed.

"Oh sure you say-"

_CRAASH!_

The sound of metal hitting metal interrupted Ed. Everything was spinning before another crash was heard and everything went black.

Ed's vision was blurry as he opened his eyes. The ground was cold and wet. He could feel drops of water pouring on to him. He blinked a couple of times trying to bring his vision back into focus. He could make out the form of two people kneeling over him. They were saying something to him but Ed couldn't make it out. Slowly his sight and hearing were restored as one of the strangers spoke to him.

"Hey, can you hear me, Sir?" asked a brown-haired man. Ed tried to speak but no wards came out. He nodded weakly instead.

"You were in a car crash," said the other person, a black-haired man. "The driver's dead and their trying to pull the boy out of the wreckage."

_The boy? Jack!_ Ed tried to stand up but his body refused.

"Don't move," said the brown-haired man. "You're badly injured. But I think you got the least of it."

"Th-the boy," Ed managed to say. "J-Jack."

"I think he's still alive," said the black-haired man. "Don't worry we called an ambulance. They're on their way." The two men kept talking but Ed didn't pay attention. He felt his consciousness slipping away again. Before he blacked out, he looked over at the wreck. The cab they were in had crashed into a wall. He driver lay on the road dead with a sheet draped over him. However, the sight that caught Ed's attention was that of his son, unconscious and bleeding, being pulled out of the wreckage. His left arm was mangled and misshapen.

"Jack," was all Ed could whisper before everything went dark again.

* * *

Cliffhangar! Because I'm a jerk sometimes. . .


	9. Wretched Automail

Okay I had my fun. Here's the next part. Oh, before I forget. I failed to mention that in this chapter and the last one, Jack is now 8 and Emma is 7.

* * *

Wretched Automail

Winry smiled as she watched Emma work with Mr. Garfiel. Her daughter had become friends with Winry's former mentor almost as soon as she met him. Garfiel had gotten very fond of the young girl and privately mentioned to Winry that he would like to mentor her when she was old enough.

"Like this Mr. Garfiel?" asked Emma as finished putting on the plating of an automail arm.

"Oh, that's perfect, Emma!" complimented Garfiel. "You're most certainly your mother's daughter." Emma beamed at the compliment. She grabbed the leg and brought it to Winry to look at.

"All done, Mama. What do you think?"

"Looks great," said Winry as she looked at the leg. "You're learning fast."

_Rrriiiinngg!_

"Oh, someone's calling," said Mr. Garfiel. "I'll get it." He stepped out of the room to go answer the phone.

"You think it's Daddy?" asked Emma.

"I don't know," answered Winry. "I hope so. He never called last night like he said he would."

"He probably forgot," giggled Emma.

"It wouldn't surprise me," sighed Winry. Ed had a habit of forgetting to call home when he was engrossed in his work.

"Winry," called Mr. Garfiel from the other room. "It's for you."

"Coming," said Winry as she stood up. She went into the back room where Mr. Garfiel was and took the phone from him. "Hello?"

"Mrs. Elric?" asked the person on the other end of the line.

"Yes."

"I'm Dr. Right calling from Central Memorial. Your husband and son have been in an accident."

"What?!"

* * *

Winry and Emma soon found themselves in Central in the hospital's waiting area. The doctor didn't give all the details saying he wanted to tell Winry in person. She shook nervously as she wondered what was taking the doctor so long. Emma sat quietly still not entirely sure of what was going on. Finally, a nurse approached the two of them.

"Excuse me are you Mrs. Elric?" she asked.

"Yes," answered Winry standing up from her chair. "Are Ed and Jack okay?"

"I'm here to take you to your husband's room. Dr. Right will explain everything when you get there." Winry nodded and took Emma's hand in hers as she followed the nurse to Ed's room. They could hear someone shouting as they approached.

"I already told you, I'm fine! Now will you tell me how my son is doing already!"

"That's Ed," said Winry. A wave of relief swept over her knowing her husband was at least healthy enough to throw one of his tantrums. The nurse opened the door and let Winry and Emma in the room. Ed sat up in the bed covered in bandages, his right arm in a sling, and his automail leg missing. Winry noticed it sitting in pieces on a chair in the room. Ed was glaring at the doctor when Winry and Emma came in.

"Daddy!" exclaimed Emma as she approached her father's bedside. Ed quickly turned his attention to his family.

"Winry, Emma! What are you two-"

"Dr. Right called us," explained Winry. "We came as soon as we heard. Where's Jack?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out," said Ed.

"As I told you before," said Dr. Right, "All I know is that your son is in surgery. I don't know the full exent of his injuries."

"Surgery?" Winry repeated. Any relief she had felt for Ed's sake was replaced by fear for her son.

"Your husband and son's cab was hit by a drunk driver and ended up crashing into a wall. Both drivers died on impact while Mr. Elric suffered some cuts and bruises as well as his broken arm. His automail was also damaged. Your son received some more serious injuries most notably severe damage to his left arm. He's in surgery with another doctor to see if they can fix it but from what I saw I don't think that's a possibility."

"What do you mean?" asked Winry.

"I only got a brief look, but I'm afraid his arm will end up being. . .removed."

"They're going to take his arm off?" asked Emma.

"I hope not, but I'm afraid so." Winry was speechless. How could all of this happen so suddenly. She looked over at Ed who was just staring down. She could tell he was blaming himself for what happened.

"I'm such an idiot," said Ed.

"Ed don't," said Winry.

"Maybe if I was paying attention to what was going on outside I might have noticed something." Winry walked up to her husband and put a hand on is shoulder.

"Ed for once don't take the blame for something. This wasn't your fault. Not in the slightest." She noticed tears start welling up in his eyes but he quickly wiped them away.

"Yeah, you're right," he admitted. Winry kissed him on the temple earning a weak smile from Ed.

"When can we see Jack?" asked Winry.

"Soon I hope," replied the doctor.

* * *

Jack moaned as he opened his eyes. He was met with a bright light and quickly closed them. He tried to put his hands up to his face but noticed only his right hand responded. He rubbed his eyes and opened them again. He was alone in a hospital room. An IV was in his right arm. He looked at his left hand but noticed something was off.

His left hand was missing. As a matter of fact his whole arm was missing.

Jack panicked. _Where is it? What happened?_

"WEHRE'S MY ARM?!" he shouted. Almost immediately a nurse and a doctor rushed into the room.

"It's alright, son," said the doctor.

"What happened? Where's my arm? Where's my dad? Where am I?"

"Shh, it's okay," said the nurse as she stood by Jack's side and put a hand on his right shoulder. "Your dad's in another room. He's okay though I promise."

"What about this?" said Jack moving the small stub of what was left of his arm.

"My name's Doctor Kent," said the doctor. "You were in a bad car crash and your arm was severely injured. I tried to save it but unfortunately the damage wasn't repairable. I was forced to remove it."

Jack looked at the stub of his arm. This was the worst Spring Break ever.

* * *

In the next few minutes, Ed, Winry, and Emma entered Jack's room. Ed was in a wheelchair. Immediately, Winry was at Jack's side examining his injuries.

"Jack, how are you feeling? Are you in any pain? Should I get a nurse?"

"N-no, I'm fine. What are you doing here, Mom?" asked Jack surprised to see his mom and sister.

"What do you mean 'What are you doing here, Mom?' Did you expect me to stay in Rush Valley while you were in the hospital?"

"Um, well, I. . .I don't know?"

Winry sighed. She grabbed his arm's stub and looked at it carefully.

"Does it need automail?" asked Jack.

"Y-yeah, I guess it does," replied Winry. Ed hung his head. He was always proud when people said Jack was like a smaller version of him, but this was too much.

"Dad, your leg is gone!" shouted Jack as he pointed at Ed's missing leg.

"What this?" said Ed. "My leg's automail it's been off plenty of times."

"Really?" asked Jack. Ed nodded.

"So, Winry. Are you going to get Jack a new arm or do want someone else-"

"Of course I'm going to do it. No way am I letting anyone else even try to install automail on my baby."

"Mom," said Jack a little embarrassed.

"Are you okay with an automail arm?" asked Winry.

"I don't really have much choice do I?" asked Jack. Winry winced when he said that. This was the last thing she wanted to happen to either of her children.

"Mama?" asked Emma.

"Yes?"

"Can I help you with Jack's arm?" Winry was a little taken aback. She looked at Jack who seemed just as surprised. However, he nodded in agreement.

"Sure, sweetie. You can help."

* * *

Within the week, Winry had gathered the materials she needed and with Emma's help put an arm together. His was easily the hardest either of them had worked on a piece of automail. Everything had to be perfect. They had started over twice and neither got much sleep the entire week. Finally, the two put an arm together that they were satisfied with. Now came the tricky part: installing it.

Jack, Emma, and Winry were in the operation room alone. Emma was the only one Winry wanted there with her to help. Everyone else, including Ed, had to wait out in the hall. Jack shook nervously as Winry put the limb on and made sure it fit properly. She picked up a wrench and looked at Jack.

"You know connecting the nerves is going to hurt, right?"

"Yeah."

"Just brace yourself, okay?"

"Okay." Emma looked like she was about to cry. "What's wrong with you? You throw your wrench at my head all the time. I'm used to you hurting me."

"This is different you jerk!" cried Emma. "I-I don't want to hurt you."

"Sorry," apologized Jack. "If it means anything, I'm glad you're here helping Mom." Emma smiled a bit as she helped Winry hold Jack's arm in place.

"Ready?" asked Winry.

"Do it," said Jack. Winry nodded and began attaching the limb. Jack winced trying his best not to cry out in pain. He knew it was going to hurt, but he could never expect it to be this bad. Winry ignored every urge telling her to stop and continued with the installation. Emma let Jack squeeze her hand not minding how much his tight grip hurt. It could never compare to what he was feeling.

"Half-way done," said Winry, Jack nodded. He could do this. He wasn't going to cry. He wasn't going to say or do anything that would make his mom and sister regret making this limb for him.

"AAAAHHH!" cried Jack. For whatever reason, it suddenly hurt much more than before. He immediately regret screaming in pain. He couldn't help it.

"Jack!" cried Emma.

"Keep going," demanded Jack. "Don't stop." Winry nodded and continued on. The next few minutes felt like an eternity but no one was about to say anything. Jack simply held his sister's hand while his mother finished connecting the last of the nerves.

"Done!" stated Winry. She immediately put her wrench down and hugged Jack tightly. "I'm so sorry!" said Winry as she started crying. "I never wanted to do that to you. I wish I could've felt that pain in your place."

"Mom," said Jack as he wrapped his arms around her, "please don't cry."

* * *

Later Jack was alone in his room with Emma. Winry was busy fixing Ed's leg. Jack was trying to grab a fork with his left hand but was having trouble getting used to how his new arm worked. Finally, he gave up in frustration and decided to try using his right arm which was just as awkward since he wasn't right handed.

"Ugh! This is so stupid!" shouted Jack as he threw his hands up in frustration. "How do people live with these crappy automail limbs!" Emma couldn't help but feel hurt that the arm her and her mom put so much work in was being called crappy by the one they made it for. She picked up Jack's fork and started to try and feed him. "I don't need you to help me," said Jack stubbornly.

"I already messed up your arm. You could at least stop being so stubborn for a minute and let me help you eat!" Jack found himself speechless as he saw Emma start tearing up. He sighed and opened his mouth to let his sister feed him. Halfway through the meal Jack spoke up.

"I'm sorry."

"About what?" asked Emma.

"The arm. It isn't crappy. I shouldn't have said it was. You and Mom did a good job. I'm just getting used to it is all."

"It's okay," said Emma. While she was hurt at the comment she came to realize something. She agreed with him. It might have been a beautiful piece of engineering to the mechanic in her, but to the sister who just watched her brother literally lose a piece of himself, it was a piece of crap.

* * *

Winry finished up Ed's leg late that night. She put as much effort as she usually did when she put it together but for once she found herself not enjoying it. Actually, she felt quite the opposite. She wished that she could be doing anything else. It was an odd feeling. Her whole life, Winry had been fascinated by automail. She loved taking it apart and putting it together, she loved learning about the new models coming out and seeing what new features they offered, and she loved coming up with her own pieces for others to use. But tonight, after everything that happened with Jack, she hated it. She was normally fascinated to see people sporting their automail but seeing it on her son was different. On him she saw it as nothing but a blemish. A ruination of something that was already perfect. She sighed and set the leg aside. She didn't want to see another piece of automail. Not today at least.

* * *

Jack sat on Ed's bedside. Ed said he could come to Jack's room but Jack wanted an excuse to get out of his room for a little bit. Ed looked at Jack's new arm. He felt sick to his stomach. This wasn't like when Ed lost his arm. That was because he was brash and foolish. He could have easily avoided it. But Jack didn't commit any sin. He lost his arm because of some stupid drunk. There was nothing Ed could have done and it drove him nuts.

"Jack," said Ed.

"Yes?"

"I-I'm sorry about what happened."

"Why?" asked Jack.

"What do you mean why?" asked Ed a bit surprised.

"You didn't crash the car. I don't blame you."

"Still. It's my job as a dad to protect my kids from being hurt. I messed up pretty bad in that regard."

"It's also a dad's job to help their kids feel better after they're hurt isn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess. Why?"

"I don't need you to feel bad about what happened. I'd appreciate it if you were there to help me get through this though." Ed smiled and pulled Jack into a hug. Jack was right; he didn't need Ed to beat himself up over this. He just needed his dad to be there for him now and Ed was determined to do just that.

* * *

Jack was alone in his room now. The only light came from the moon shining through the window. Jack kept clenching his automail arm into a fist. It was weird.

It looked like an arm.

It worked like an arm.

Yet, it didn't feel like an arm. It felt like a dead extension of an arm. He could feel a thing with it and it drove him nuts. He picked up the glass of water on the table next to him. He couldn't feel the water that condensed on the outside of the glass. He couldn't feel the cold of it. The only thing he felt was the weird sensation on his stub as he moved the limb. Jack gulped the water down in one go and held the glass n his hand. He started squeezing the glass as hard as he cold.

He was willing to feel a little pain at this point.

The glass cracked as he squeezed it. Still felt nothing.

Finally the glass broke in his hand. Some pieces fell to the floor while a few pieces remained in his hand. Still nothing.

He crushed the pieces that remained in his hand into smaller pieces. He wanted to feel something. He sighed as he opened his hand and let the pieces fall to the floor. He sighed and laid back on his bed.

"Wretched automail," he whispered.

* * *

Sad I know. Sorry. I'll try and lighten the mood in the next chapter.


	10. Visit from friends

Visit From Friends

Jack shifted uncomfortably in his hospital bed while Emma sat in a chair next to him. It had been almost a week since his arm was installed and he was anxious to get out. However, the doctors insisted that he and Ed stay for a couple more days. Jack was really starting to despise doctors. He rolled his left shoulder around trying to keep it from feeling stiff.

"Are you getting any more used to your new arm?" asked Emma.

"A little," he answered.

"Is there anything wrong with it?"

"No, it's working fine. Just still feels kind of weird. Not your fault." Emma felt a little better. She hated the idea of her brother not being able to use his arm because of something she did.

_Knock! Knock!_

"I'll get it," said Emma. She stood up from her seat to answer the door.

"Greetings Elrics!" shouted Daniel happily as he burst into the room. He looked down and noticed Emma. "Miss Emma, it is most delightful to see you again!"

"Nice to see you too, Daniel," said Emma half-heartedly. Her right eye twitched a little. Daniel had come to visit with his father a few times while Jack and Ed were recuperating. For whatever reason, Daniel seemed to take a liking to Emma much to her annoyance.

"Hello," greeted Lauren as she followed in behind Daniel.

"Hey, Lauren," Jack and Emma greeted in unison.

"Where are your folks?" asked Jack.

"Visiting with your parents," explained Lauren. "I heard they're going to let you out soon, Jack. You must be glad."

"I'd be happier if they let me out a week ago," said Jack.

"One must not argue against the wisdom of medical professionals Jackson," said Daniel. Jack rolled his eyes. Did Daniel really need to be so dramatic all the time?

"Yeah, sure whatever."

"So are you going back to Risembool after you get out?" asked Lauren.

"Yeah," answered Emma. "We're going to have a lot of school work to catch up on." Jack sunk under his sheets. He forgot that Spring Break was over.

"Oh, well I hope you have a safe trip back," said Lauren sounding a little disappointed.

"Thanks," said Jack.

"Well, Daniel and I can't stay long," said Emma. "We got some going away gifts for you two."

"What?" asked Jack.

"You didn't have to do that," said Emma.

"Think nothing of it," said Daniel. "Consider it a token of our newfound friendship." With that he presented Emma with a small tool kit she didn't even notice he had. "For you, Miss Emma. May you find great use of it the future."

"Um. . .thanks," said Emma feeling a little uncomfortable as she took the tool kit. She opened it up and examined all the various automail tools. A part of her was ecstatic at having a tool kit all to herself.

"And this is for you Jack," said Lauren. She handed him a wrapped rectangular object. Jack opened it and gasped excitedly at the new alchemy book in his hands.

"Wow, thanks!" said Jack as he opened the book and looked through the pages. "How did you know what we liked?"

"Your parents told us," answered Lauren. Jack smiled softly as he closed the book.

"Thanks, Lauren."

"You're welcome," said Lauren. Emma swore she saw her blush a little.

"Well, we must be off," announced Daniel. "I hope our paths cross again Elric siblings."

"Yeah," said Jack.

"Same here," said Emma.

"Take care," said Lauren as she and Daniel left the room. Emma looked at Jack with a devious smile on her face.

"What?" asked Jack.

"Lauren seems to like you," said Emma.

"What?!" asked Jack confused and a little embarrassed.

"Jack and Lauren sitting in a-"

"What about Daniel?" Jack quickly retorted. Emma immediately stopped and groaned in irritation.

"He's annoying," she said bluntly. Jack chuckled and leaned back in his bed.

"I can't wait to get home," said Jack.

* * *

A couple days later, the Elrics were finally able to return home to Risembool. As the family got out of the car Jack found himself tackled by a black blur.

"Hi, Shadow," greeted Jack. The young dog barked happily as he licked his beloved master's face.

"How did Shadow get out of the house?" asked Winry.

"We thought he'd like to say 'Hi'," said a familiar voice.

"Al?" asked Ed. Al walked out of the house and smiled at the surprised family.

"Hey," greeted Al.

* * *

Jack sat on the couch with his aunt and uncle. Emma sat on the floor cuddling Alley while his parents sat in the chairs in the room. His two-year-old cousins Kai and Bryan were preoccupied with Shadow.

"What brings you all the way from Xing?" asked Ed.

"Winry called us and told us what happened," explained Al. "We came as soon as possible to visit you guys."

"You didn't have to do that," said Winry.

"We wanted to," said May. "Besides we haven't been back to Amestris since the twins were born."

"I'm glad you came," said Jack. "It's not any trouble for you to be here is it?"

"It's never any trouble visiting you guys," said Al ruffling his nephew's hair.

"Ja!" said Kai as he toddled over to his cousin. Jack smiled at Kai's attempt to say his name.

"Hey, buddy," said Jack. Bryan quickly followed his brother. He looked at Jack's arm and pointed at it. "That's my new arm," said Jack. Both twins looked at the arm before Kai started sucking on Jack's thumb and Bryan on his pinky.

"Boys, don't chew on your cousin's hand!" scolded May as she and Al picked up the boys. "I'm sorry, Jackson. The boys are teething."

"It's okay," said Jack. "Glad someone likes my arm."

"Still getting used to it?" asked Al. Jack nodded. "Yeah. Your dad had trouble with his automail when he first got it."

"Dad had automail?" Emma and Jack asked in unison. They both looked at Ed with shocked faces.

"Uhh. . ." said Ed as he rubbed the back of his head.

"You never told them?" asked Al.

"It never came up," said Ed smiling sheepishly.

"What about now?" asked Jack waving his arm in slight annoyance.

"Okay, fair point. I used to have an automail arm. Still have an automail leg," he said pulling up his pant leg a bit to expose his prosthetic leg. "I don't want to get into the details but I know what it's like. I'm sorry I didn't bring it up before."

"You got your arm back though," said Emma. "Can Jack get his back?" Jack perked up a bit at the sound of this.

"I doubt it," said Ed. "Those were special circumstances."

"Oh," said Jack. It was quiet for a minute.

"I found use for the arm though. I don't think I would have gotten as far as I did without it. Your mom was never happy with all the times I wrecked it."

"Or kept using alchemy on it," added Winry.

"I was improving it," stated Ed.

"Are you implying something was wrong with my design?" asked Winry suddenly holding a large wrench.

"N-not at all" said Ed holding up his hands defensively.

"What did you use to do to it?" asked Jack.

"I used to make a blade come out of it," Ed. Jack gasped in utter excitement as he looked at his automail arm. It just became a little cool.

"Don't even think about it," said Winry.

"Please?" begged Jack.

"Not like he's trying to transmute the floor," said Ed.

"Someday," muttered Jack under his breath.

"Promise not to break it, Jack?" asked Winry.

"Yes ma'am!" promised Jack.

"Fine," Winry sighed.

* * *

Jack, Ed, and Al stood out by the tree in the front yard. Everyone else watched from the porch. Ed drew a transmutation circle on Jack's arm.

"Okay, bud. Let's give this a shot," said Ed.

"Right," said Jack. He clapped and touched the circle. Lightning sparked around Jack's arm.

"Be sure to guide the blade into the shape you want," coached Ed.

"Okay," said Jack. He used his right hand to guide the metal into a blade that reached over his hand. He looked at the blade and smiled at his work. Al whistled.

"Nice," complimented Al.

"Yeah, good job," said Ed. Jack looked back and waved his blade at those sitting on the porch.

"Cool!" said Emma.

"Very nice," said Winry.

"Does it work?" asked May. Winry had hoped no one would ask that.

"Let's see," said Jack. Before Winry could say anything Jack stabbed his blade into the tree. "It works!" he shouted. He struggled to pull it out for a minute. When he did he found the tip was dented.

"Oh, great," said Winry.

"Woops," said Jack. "Sorry-" he was interrupted by Emma's new wrench hitting him in the forehead.

"Oh, look. That works too," said an irritated Emma. Al stared at his dazed nephew in mild surprise.

"Apple never falls far from the tree huh, Brother."

"Not at all," said Ed.

* * *

Sorry, if this felt directionless. I was winging it.


	11. That Old Armor

Special thanks to Potnoodle11 for inspiring this idea.

* * *

That Old Armor

"One. . ." counted Kai.

_Gotta hide. Gotta hide,_ Bryan thought frantically. He thought about hiding under the sink. _No, I did that last time._

"Two. . .Three. . ."

_Closet? No, he'll look there. Outside! _Suddenly, thunder cracked outside. _Oh, man. _

"Four. . .Five. . .Six"

_Under the bed. No, did that already too. Dad's study! _He ran into Al's study and looked around desperately.

"Seven. . ."

_Ummm? _He noticed a large suit of armor in the corner. _There!_

"Eight. . .Nine. . ."

Bryan scrambled into the armor trying to make as little noise as possible.

"Ten!" shouted Kai. "Ready or not, here I come, Brother!" Kai looked under the sink. "Nope." He checked their room underneath the bed. "Not here either." He went into the living room and checked in the corner next to the couch. Al sat in the recliner on the other side of the room reading the book. Kai sighed in frustration when he couldn't find his brother.

"What are you looking for, Kai?" asked Al as he looked up from his book.

"I'm playing hide-and-seek with Bryan. I can't find him anywhere."

"I see. Well, good luck with that," said Al. He stood up and walked upstairs to his study. He looked at the old armor that once harbored his soul and smiled softly. He noticed that the chair from his desk was in front of the armor. The straps to the chest were also undone. He walked up to the armor suit and opened up the chest.

"Daddy!" said Bryan surprised.

"Bryan?" asked Al.

"I'm hiding from Kai," explained Al.

"Yeah, he told me."

"Is it okay to hide in here?" asked Bryan.

"Yeah, sure I guess. It might help if I strap the armor shut so Kai doesn't get tipped off," suggested Al.

"But then I can't get out," said Bryan.

"Trust me; I won't forget you in here, okay?"

"Okay!" agreed Bryan.

"Don't tell Kai I'm here," said Bryan.

"I would never," replied Al feigning offense. He smiled as he closed the armor and strapped the chest in place. He sat at his desk and began to take notes. Eventually, Kai found his way into the room. "Still looking?"

"Yes," sighed Kai, annoyed. "He must have picked a really good spot."

"Must have."

"Do you know where he might be?" asked Kai.

"That would be telling," said Al.

"You know don't you!" said Kai. He rushed to his dad's side and stared up at him. "Can you give me a hint?"

"That wouldn't be fair to your brother," Al.

"Pleeeeaaaassee?" asked Kai giving his dad big puppy dog eyes. Al inwardly cursed May for passing that trait on to _both _their sons.

"Don't do it, Daddy!" cried Bryan. The armor shook as Bryan flailed about inside the armor.

"There you are!" said Kai as he walked up to the armor. Al sighed at his son's wasted effort as he stood up and opened up the chest. Bryan was still flailing around when Al opened the armor and ended up falling out of the armor and landed with a _Thud!_

"Ow!" cried Bryan as he landed.

"Are you okay, son?" asked Al.

"Yeah," said Bryan as he sat up and rubbed his head. "Hey, Daddy?" asked Bryan looking up at Al.

"What's up?"

"What's that red paint in the armor?" asked Bryan.

"Red paint?" repeated Al. "Oh. . .that's not paint."

"What is it then?" asked Kai.

Al sighed. He knew he would tell his boys this story someday but not when they were five. He figured now was as good a time as any. He sat in his chair and let both boys climb into his lap.

"When Uncle Ed and I were younger we broke a very important rule."

"What rule?" asked both boys in unison.

"I'd rather not say now, but we shouldn't have broken it. As punishment, Uncle Ed lost an arm and leg and I ended up inside that armor without my body."

"Woah," gasped Kai.

"But you got your body back though," said Bryan.

"Yes, but it took a very long time."

"What was it like?" asked Kai.

"Not fun. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't feel or smell, I couldn't let anything happen to that seal in the armor, and I couldn't eat."

"So you couldn't try Mommy's cooking?" asked Bryan. Both boys looked horrified at the thought. They were very fond of May's cooking.

Al laughed. "I was lucky enough to get my body back before then."

"How did you get your body back, Dad?" asked Kai.

"Uncle Ed, Uncle Ling, your mother, your grandpa, myself, and a bunch of our friends fought this really bad man called Father and his Homunculi. They were trying to take over the world. Your mom and I ended up giving up my soul so Ed could beat Father. Luckily, Ed was able to get me and my body back. He had to give up alchemy though."

"That's why he can't do alchemy?" asked Kai.

"That's why."

"Was he sad to lose it?" asked Bryan.

"No, it was his idea. I think he kind of prefers it this way."

"Wow. That's a really cool story," said Kai.

"It didn't seem all that cool at the time," said Al.

"Do you have any other stories?" asked Bryan.

"I got plenty of them. But I think I might wait until you're older for some of them though."

"Pleeeaase?" both boys asked in unison.

"Your mom would kill me if I told you some of those stories. Then I really couldn't eat her cooking. You wouldn't wish that on your poor old man, would you?"

"I guess not," said Bryan. Kai nodded in agreement.

"Okay, then. You guys go and play okay?"

"Will you play with us?" asked Bryan.

"Well." Both boys gave him the puppy eyes. _Oh, they're just as evil as their mother. _"I guess I could for a while."

"Yay!" cried both boys.

"Well, hide and you seek, okay," said Kai. Al nodded. The boys climbed off his lap and scurried out of the room to find a good hiding place. Al smiled as he stood up. He looked at the armor and closed it up.

"Thanks for the memories, old friend."


	12. Suggestions? Again

Okay, I'm having writers block right now. Figured I'd have another 'let the audience drop suggestions' chapter. Just throw any ideas you would like to see and I'll see if I can't work with it. Have fun with it.

Oh, yeah, I have another FMA story that takes place after Conqueror of Shamballa. I don't have a whole lot of chapters on it yet and it's not really getting any love. Feel free to check it out and tell me what you think.


	13. I'm Home

Thank you all who dropped suggestions. Feel free to keep them coming. This chapter was inspired by forgottencharacter! Special thanks to you.

* * *

I'm Home

Winry sat on the couch reading an automail catalog. The kids were in bed, Alley rested quietly on the armrest of the couch, and Shadow lay curled up by her feet. Ed was nowhere to be seen surprisingly. She didn't think too much of it and kept reading. Suddenly, a bouquet of roses blocked her view of the catalog. She looked up and saw Ed giving her one of his big goofy grins.

"For you my dear," said Ed handing her the flowers and a small blue box and sat next to her. She opened to find a new pair of earrings.

"Aw, you're so sweet," she said. She gave him a peck on the cheek. "What did you do?"

"What? Nothing!" said Ed a little annoyed.

"Then what's with the flowers?" asked Winry.

"Our anniversary," he explained.

"It's not our anniversary," she told him.

"Not our wedding anniversary. The anniversary of the day I proposed."

"Why are you celebrating that?" asked Winry.

"Why not? I think it's pretty important."

"I suppose. Do you even remember that day?"

"Like it was yesterday."

* * *

_Fifteen years ago._

Ed shifted around uncomfortably on the train. Usually, he didn't really mind how hard the train seats were but today it was bugging him. In fact a lot of things were. That one guy snoring two seats behind him, the little girl who kept asking her mom the same questions over and over, and the fact that Al was so calm. Ed looked across the seat from him at his little brother. Al just looked contentedly out the window with a small smile on his face. Finally, Ed had enough.

"HOW ARE YOU SO CALM?" he asked annoyed, not caring if his shouting bothered anyone. Al jumped a bit when Ed shouted.

"Um, what do you mean, Brother?" asked Al.

"Why am I the only one so tense on this trip?"

"I dunno," said Al. "You nervous about something?" Ed thought for a moment. He didn't think he was nervous but the more he thought about it he realized. . .

"Winry," he said almost inaudibly.

"Winry?" repeated Al looking confused. Then realization hit him. "Oh, that's right, you 'proposed'" he teased using finger quotes around 'proposed.'

"Oh, shut up!" demanded Ed.

"What'd you say she promised you again?" asked Al pretending to be in deep thought. "Seventy percent, seventy-five. . ."

"Eighty-five," Ed corrected. Al whistled.

"That's a lot," said Al. "How much did you offer her?"

"I, um, well, I, uh. . .half," he answered timidly.

"She's giving eighty-five in exchange for half? I fail to see the equivalency of that, Brother."

"Why are you being such a jerk about this?" asked Ed.

"Sorry, sorry," apologized Al. "It's just that it took you so long to actually admit how you feel and even you admitted it you didn't actually admit it. You used alchemy for crying out loud.

"I thought it was clever," said Ed. _No, you didn't!_ his brain scolded.

"Uh-huh," said Al not buying it. "So what are you going to do once you get back?" It was then he noticed Ed was fiddling around with something in his pocket the whole time they were speaking. "Brother?"

"What?" asked Ed. Al pointed to Ed's pocket.

"Watcha got there?" asked Al.

"Nothing!" said Ed pulling his hand out of his pocket. "Nothing at all!"

"Can I see it then?" asked Al.

"No, it's a secret!"

"A secret nothing?" Al asked confused.

"Yes," answered Ed.

"If it's nothing then why is it a secret?"

"None of your business! And you still haven't answered my question."

"What question?" asked Al.

"What's got you so happy?" asked Ed. Now it was Al's turn to blush.

"Oh, just thinking about Xing," he said. Ed smiled evilly as the tables turned in his favor.

"Anything in particular? Places, food. . .little beansprout girls?"

"Um, is it hot in here?" asked Al as his pulled on his shirt collar.

"Aw does widdle brudder have himself a cwush?" teased Ed pinching Al's cheek.

"No," said Al swatting Ed's hand away. "She's just a friend."

"Oh, sure, sure, and Father just wanted a hug," retorted Ed.

"Shut up!" said Al as his face turned even redder. He went back looking out the window. Ed laughed as he sat back in his seat. Oddly enough, he didn't notice all the things that bugged him before. Al was now shifting nervously and Ed felt surprisingly content. For now all was right with the world.

* * *

Winry sat on the bench waiting for the train to show up. Her foot tapped nervously on the ground. She looked at the clock hanging on the wall. 11:25. The train would be there soon. She thought back to the last time she was here almost a year ago.

_"Equivalent Exchange!" Ed shouted frantically pointing at her. Winry just stood there confused as Ed explained. "I'll give half of my life to you if you give half of yours to me!"_

Winry chuckled. "He's such an idiot," she said softly. She thought about the promise they made to each other. Did Ed even remember? If he did, did he still feel that way about her? It had been a year. He could have found someone else. She quickly shook the thought from her mind. Ed wouldn't make a promise like that if he didn't mean it. But still a year was a long time.

The sound of a train whistle interrupted her thoughts. She stood up and watched as the train approached and came to a stop. The door to the train opened as two people stepped off and smiled at her.

"We're back!" the Elric brothers announced in unison. Winry didn't say a word as she pulled them both into a hug.

"I've missed you," she said. Ed and Al smiled as they hugged their childhood friend.

* * *

Ed went back to being nervous almost as soon as he saw Winry. He again started to fiddle around with the object in his pocket hoping Winry didn't notice. On the whole walk back, Ed barely said a word, letting Al dominate the conversation. When they got home Ed quickly grabbed a bite to eat and went up to his room without so much as a 'hello' to Pinako.

"What's got him in such a mood?" asked Pinakao.

"I don't know," said Winry. "He's been like that the whole trip home." Quickly Al leaned over to Pinako and whispered in her ear.

"I think Ed's going to make his move," Al told her. Pinako stiffened a bit.

"You mean actually ask her or is he just going to make some stupid alchemy comment?" she whispered back.

"Knowing him? Probably both. But I saw him playing around with something in his pocket."

"I see," said Pinako. She smiled a bit. It was about time Ed made a move.

"What are you to talking about?" asked Winry.

"Nothing!" said Al straightening up immediately. Winry eyed the two suspiciously.

"Winry, dear, could you go check on the stew for me?" asked Pinako.

"Um, sure," said Winry. She went into the kitchen and Pinako headed upstairs.

"What are you doing?" Al asked softly trying not to let Winry hear.

"I love your brother like a grandson but if we wait for his timing he'll never ask her," explained Pinako. Al just nodded. She had a point. Meanwhile, Ed was standing in his room holding a small blue box in his hand. A part of him was screaming at him to go down and propose to Winry properly right now. The other part of him told him to crawl up in the corner and die. He was a bit torn between the two at the moment. "So you did buy a ring," said a voice. Ed spun around and saw Pinako standing in the doorway.

"Granny!" he shouted nervously. "I, this isn't, um?" He quickly shoved the box in his pocket.

"So when are you going to ask her?" asked Pinako.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Edward Elric!" scolded Pinako. "Winry has been waiting for you for a year worried that you might have either forgotten or set you sights on a different woman."

"She thought that?"

"Yes, and I highly disapprove of you taking your sweet time to say something to her." Ed pulled the box out of his pocket and handed it to her. "Do you think she'll like it?" Pinako opened it and looked at the diamond ring inside. She smiled at him.

"It's very nice. I think she'll love it." She handed it back to him and stuck it into his pocket.

"Good. I'll ask her tonight. I promise."

"I'll hold you to that."

* * *

At dinner, Ed actually seemed to be less nervous. He was more talkative with people and kept stealing glances at Winry when she wasn't looking. Finally, after they were done eating, Ed helped Winry with the dishes to try and get them done as fast as they could.

"Thank you, Ed," said Winry when they were done.

"Hey, um, Winry?"

"Yes?"

"You wanna go to the lake?" he asked.

"What? It's getting late," she told him.

"I just want to go for a little walk," he said. "I want to catch up."

"Um, okay, sure. Granny, Ed and I are going out for a bit."

"Take your time," she told them. Ed and Winry left the house and headed to the lake. Ed was quiet as he thought about what he was going to say.

"So what did you want to talk about, Edward?" she asked. Ed searched his brain for some way to discretely bring up the subject. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't think of something.

"I wanted to talk about that day I left," he said opting to just come out with it. Winry froze in her steps. She didn't think Ed would be so direct. Ed stood in front of her. "Pinako told me that you were worried about me forgetting what I said that day or that I had found someone else." Winry got a little nervous when he mentioned that.

"Ed, I. . ."

"I just wanted to say that you don't have to worry," Ed interrupted. "I haven't stopped thinking about what I said. Actually, I was kind of worried you had moved on." Winry smiled at how ridiculous both were being. She put a hand on his cheek and smiled.

"There's no way I would do that to you."

"I'm glad," said Ed. "Because I wanted to ask you something." He got down on one knee and pulled out the box from his pocket. Winry gasped as he opened it and revealed the ring inside. "Winry, will you marry me?" Winry was speechless. She put the ring on her ring finger and nodded.

"Yes," she said.

"Really?" asked Ed. Winry laughed as she knelt down in front of him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Ed was stunned at first but soon wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her back. Ed wondered what took the two of them so long to do this. The two pulled away and smiled at one another.

"Yes, really," she told him.

* * *

_Present day._

Winry smiled as she rested her head on Ed's shoulder.

"I'm glad Granny knocked some sense into you," said Winry.

"Me too," said Ed. He looked at her and smiled. "You know there was never any chance I would ever even consider marrying another woman." Winry chuckled.

"What if we never met?" she asked.

"I would die a lonely single man," he told her. Winry directed his lips towards hers and kissed him.

"You're the only man for me, Edward Elric. I love you." Ed kissed her back.

"Love you too."

* * *

Hope you enjoyed. Thanks again forgottencharacter for the idea.


	14. First Date

Since I did one for Ed and Winry, I decided to do one for Al and May. Thanks again to forgotten character for the idea.

* * *

First Date

"Okay, kids, time for bed," said May as she walked down the stairs into the living room. Ling and Lan Fan's daughters Aki and Rin were staying with her and Al. Kai and Bryan were more than happy to have their cousins over. All four kids decided to sleep out in the living room. Aki and Bryan sat on the couch while Kai and Rin played with Xiao-Mei on the floor.

"We're not tired, Mama!" protested Kai.

"Yeah, five more minutes?" asked Rin. May could tell which parent she took after.

"Rin, we told Mother and Father we'd listen to Auntie May and Uncle Al while we stayed here," said Aki. May liked that Lan Fan's disciplined nature passed on to at least one of their daughters.

"Okay," said Rin. All four children got ready for bed and brought their sleeping bags down into the living room and laid them on the floor. "Aunt May?"

"Yes?" asked May.

"Can you tell us a story before we go to bed?" Rin requested. May smiled as she sat on the couch. Xiao-Mei happily jumped on her lap.

"I suppose so," said May. "What kind of story do you want to hear?"

"One about Homunculi!" suggested Kai excitedly. Bryan nodded in agreement.

"How do you know about them?" asked May in surprise.

"Daddy told us," answered Bryan. May made a mental note to kill her husband later.

"Why don't we let Aki and Rin choose what kind of story they want? That sound good?" Both boys looked at each other then back at their mother and nodded. "Okay, then. Do you have any suggestions, girls?" asked May. Aki shrugged.

"Tell us how you and Uncle Al got together!" suggested Rin. Rin was always the romantic type. May wasn't sure which parent she picked that up from. Although, she did catch Ling reading that romantic novel that one time.

"Ew! No, gross stuff!" protested Kai. Bryan, while not as vocal, still grimaced a bit and nodded in agreement.

"Boys, be nice," said May. She leaned back on the couch and thought back to the moment when she and Al got together. "How exactly did that happen?"

"You don't remember?" asked Rin sounding a little disappointed.

"It's been a long time since then. Oh, let's see now. . .Ah! Now I remember."

_Eleven years ago. . ._

Al stepped off the train and took in the sights. Xing was beautiful as ever. Immediately he was greeted by a small panda bear climbing onto his shoulder.

"Hey, Xiao-Mei," greeted Al. "How are you? Where's May?"

"Over here," answered May as she walked up to him. Al swore his heart skipped a beat when he saw the pretty Xingese girl approach him. "How was your trip to Amestris? Is Winry doing well?"

"Yeah, she's great. No complications with her childbirth. I have a picture of her and Ed with the baby. You want to see?"

"Oh, yes please!" said May excitedly. Al pulled out a picture from his coat pocket and gave it to her. It was a picture of Ed and Winry at the hospital. Winry was in the hospital bed holding the baby. She looked a tired but very happy. Ed was sitting in a chair next to the bed smiling like he was the happiest man in the world. The baby was sleeping soundly. "Aaaww, he's so cute!" squealed May.

"Yeah, he is," said Al. "His name is Jackson but everyone has taken to calling him 'Jack.'"

"That's a very nice name," said May. She gave the picture back to Al who carefully put it back into his pocket. "The Emperor told me to bring you to him."

"Alright. Let's go."

Al and May entered the throne room. There was Ling, Emperor of Xing, sitting proudly on his throne. . . playing with his barely year old daughter.

"Aren't you a pretty girl?" cooed Ling. Aki laughed happily as he tickled her. "Yes, the prettiest princess in all the land."

"Um, Ling?" asked May. Ling looked up at the two. Al tried his best to not start snickering.

"Ah, May, Al. Glad you stopped by," he greeted as he stood up carefully holding Aki. He walked up to Al and shook his hand. "Glad to have our Amestris representative back. How was your trip?"

"It went very well," said Al. "Ed and Winry had a son." He pulled out the picture he showed May and let Ling look at it.

"He's a handsome boy," said Ling. "Clearly takes after Winry." May and Al chuckled as al slipped the picture back in his pocket. "May, would you excuse us? I need to speak with Alphonse." Al wondered if it was important. Ling never called him Alphonse unless it was important.

"Um, sure," said May. "I'll see you later, Alphonse."

"Yeah, sure," said Al. He watched as May left the room. _Man, she's beautiful. . ._

"Enjoying the view?" asked Ling.

"What?!" shouted Al as he faced Ling rubbing the back of his neck. His face was bright red. "N-no, I was just-" Ling started laughing as he walked back to his throne.

"You know I was thinking," said Ling as he sat down. "Ed was always too dense to tell Winry how he felt. Took forever to realize he loved her, but once he did he got out with it."

"Your point?" asked Al.

"You're not an idiot, Al," said Ling. "You know you like May. Anyone with a working brain can tell you do. So I'm wondering, what's taking you so long to ask May out on a date?"

"Wh-what?" asked Al.

"Oh, don't play dumb," said Ling. "When are you going to ask her out?"

"Ling, don't put him on the spot like that." Al jumped a bit when he heard a voice behind him. He turned around and saw Lan Fan standing there.

"Do you always have to enter like that?" asked Al. Lan Fan just smiled a bit. "I get what you're saying, Ling," he said facing the emperor. "I-I guess I'm just afraid she might not want to." Lan Fan chuckled.

"Is that it?" asked Ling. He laughed aloud. "I take it back, you are an idiot." Al looked confused.

"May still has feelings for you, Alphonse," said Lan Fan. "She's gone past a little childhood crush. Although, I know she won't wait forever."

"Yeah," said Al.

"So what's your next move?" asked Ling.

"Any chance you could keep our schedules cleared for the evening?" Al asked Ling. Ling smiled.

"Already cleared."

May sat quietly in the palace library reading. Xiao-Mei slept quietly in her lap. She wondered how Al's conversation with Ling was going. She jumped when a finger tapped her on the shoulder. She looked over her shoulder and saw Al smiling at her.

"Alphonse," she gasped. "How was your talk with Ling?"

"It went well," said Al taking a seat next to her.

"What did he want to ask you?"

"Oh, um, well," Al blushed a little as he rubbed the back of his neck. He took a breath and looked May in the eye. "He wanted to know when, um, I'd, uh, ask you out." Al and May could feel the awkwardness the silence produced. May sighed in annoyance as she set her book down.

"I'm sorry about him, Alphonse," she said. "I'll make sure he pays for it later."

"A-actually, y-you see," said Al stumbling over his words. May just gave him a confused look. "I-I've been wanting t-to ask you out for a long time now." It was May's turn to blush.

"Oh. Really?"

"Y-yeah. So, um, if you aren't doing anything tonight, Ling said he cleared our schedules. So if you want to, I don't know, do something tonight. . ."

"What did you have in mind?" asked May.

"Um. . .I don't know. Never thought I'd get this far." He thought for a minute then snapped his fingers. "You like picnics?" he asked.

"I've never really been on one actually," said May.

"Really? Ed and I would go on them all the time with our mother when we were little. If you want to do something else-"

"No, no, a picnic sounds lovely," said May.

"So it's a date then?" asked Al. May smiled.

"It's a date."

"So you got a date with the beansprout girl?" asked Ed. Al had called him up.

"Yeah," said Al. "I'm really nervous, Brother."

"Why?"

"I've never been on a date before. I don't know what to do."

"That's why you skip the dating process and just flat out propose."

"Oh, is that what you did?" asked Al.

"Sure why not." Al smiled and shook his head. "Look, Al, just be yourself, okay?" advised Ed.

"That's really cliché, Brother," said Al.

"True though. She fell for you because you were yourself. Just keep doing what you're doing. And be open with her. Secrets don't help in relationships."

"You're being awfully insightful," observed Al.

"I have my moments," said Ed arrogantly. "Anyway, enjoy your date, okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

May looked at the red dress sleeveless dress she was wearing. In the mirror she could see the reflection of Xiao-Mei sitting on the bed.

"What do you think?" May asked the small panda. "Too simple?" Xiao-Mei shook her head and chirped in encouragement. May sat next to her friend and scratched her ears. "I can't believe I actually have a date with Alphonse. I was starting to think he wasn't interested." Xiao-Mei gave a lecturing chirp. "I know, I know." It was quiet between the two for a second. "What if it doesn't go well?" Xiao-Mei sighed in irritation. "I'm nervous, cut me some slack." There was a knock on the door. May got up and opened it to see Lan Fan and Aki. Lan Fan was actually wearing casual clothes rather than her usual armor. "Ling force you to take another break?"

"Actually, I came on my own," said Lan Fan. "May I come in?"

"Of course," said May. "You managed to steal Aki away from Ling?" Lan Fan laughed.

"Ling has work to do. Plus, she's my daughter too."

"May I ask what brought you here?" asked May.

"Oh, right. Sorry. I came to see how you were." She looked May over and smiled. "You look beautiful."

"Really?" Lan Fan nodded.

"Doesn't Aunt May look pretty, Aki?" Lan Fan asked Aki. Aki looked at May and reached out for her. May smiled as Lan Fan handed her Aki. "Aki agrees." May chuckled. "Nervous?"

"A little," May admitted.

"You shouldn't be," said Lan Fan. "Al has had feelings for you for a while. He's probably more nervous actually."

"I find that hard to believe."

"Just remember to enjoy yourself and be who you are. It's worked so far."

"Right. I'll remember that." There was another knock on the door. May opened it and saw Alphonse holding a picnic basket and blanket. He was wearing a white shirt and gray pants.

"Hi, May," he greeted. He noticed Aki and smiled. "I only brought enough food for two," he joked. Lan Fan walked up to May and took Aki. "You ready to go?" Al asked May.

"Yes, oh wait!" she went back into her room and grabbed something off the table. It was a pie covered with a cloth.

"You bake?" asked Al.

"It's a hobby," said May.

"Alright, enough talk you two," said Lan Fan as she shooed them out. She smiled softly at them. "Have fun."

"Thanks," said Al and May in unison.

Al brought May to a lake. The stars were bright and the moon reflected perfectly off the lake. He looked at May. She looked beautiful. Immediately he felt like an idiot.

_I should have dressed nicer. And why did I suggest a picnic at night of all times? Do people even do that? Is she cold? Doesn't feel cold. Then again I'm wearing sleeves. Crap, I should have done this during the day when it was warmer._

"Alphonse?" asked May. Al was snapped back to reality. He looked over at her. "Are you alright?"

"Uh, yeah. You cold?" he asked. She looked at him confused.

"It's summer, Al," she told him.

"Yeah, right," he said chuckling nervously. "J-just checking." _Oooh, man I'm an idiot._ The two sat on a small hill overlooking the lake. Alphonse laid out the blanket on the grass for the two to sit on.

"This is a nice spot you picked, Alphonse," said May as they sat down.

"Really?" asked Al. He opened up the picnic basket and pulled out a small roast chicken, salad, and bottle of wine from the basket.

"Yes," she replied as he pulled out a couple of plate and utensils. "Looks familiar."

"We used to come up here to train sometimes remember? You said the peaceful atmosphere would help me get in touch with the Dragon's Pulse."

"That's right," said May. "I forgot about that." The two reminisced about old memories as they ate. When they were done, May grabbed the pie she brought and took the cloth off. "Want a slice?"

"Yes, please," he replied. She cut him a slice and put it on his plate. "Is this apple?"

"Yes. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, I love apple pie," he said taking a bite. "It's delicious." May blushed a little.

"Thanks."

"When did you start baking?"

"Oh, I've cooked for years. Never really had a passion for it though until a couple years ago. I was bored one day and just started experimenting. You're the first person besides me to try my cooking."

"You're good," said Al.

"I'm glad you like it." The two finished their pie and sat quietly for a while. "May I ask you something?" asked May breaking the silence.

"Sure," said Al.

"How long have you had feelings for me?" she asked. Al was surprised.

"Well, um, I'm not sure how long exactly," he said. "A couple years I guess. I was always scared to make a move though."

"Why?" asked May.

"You've grown up a lot since when we first met. I was afraid it just a silly little girl crush that you grew out of. Plus, I was afraid that it might cause an international incident if we were together."

"I don't care about what other people think about who I'm dating. And you're right, it was a silly little girl crush at first. But in time it became something genuine." Al smiled.

"I'm sorry, I didn't say anything before," he told her. She giggled.

"I get it. You take your time with things," said May. "I've always liked that about you." Al smiled at her. As the two looked into each other's eyes they didn't realize that they were leaning closer to one another. Suddenly, the two found their lips pressed together. Immediately the two pulled back.

"Um, did we-" started Al.

"Yes, I think so," interrupted May.

"Did, did you find it awkward?" he asked.

"N-not really," she admitted. "Did you?"

"Not really," said Al. The two just looked at each other blushing like crazy. "Well here goes nothing." Before May could react, he pressed her lips against hers. She was surprised at first but soon found herself enjoying the moment as she wrapped her arms around his neck. After a deep passionate kiss the two pulled away and looked each other in the eyes. May smiled softly at him.

"Remember what I said about you being patient?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"I take it back." Al laughed and kissed her again.

_Present day_

"That's such a pretty story," said Rin. Aki nodded in agreement. "Did you like it guys?" Rin asked the twins.

"Uhuh," said Bryan.

"It was alright I guess," said Kai earning him and elbow in the arm from his brother. The two boys glared at each other.

"Don't start you two," warned May. Both boys proceeded to glare at each other out of their peripheral vision. "Okay kids, now it's really time for bed." The children conceded and crawled into their sleeping bags. May kissed her boys brows. "Sleep well you two."

"Night, Mama," both boys said in unison. May kissed Aki and Rin on the head as well.

"Good night girls."

"Night, Auntie May," said Aki.

"Night, night," said Rin. May went upstairs to her and Al's room. Al was laying on the bed reading. He looked at her when she came in. Xiao-Mei jumped onto the bed.

"Hey, what took so long?" he asked.

"Told the kids a story," she answered as she crawled into bed next to him.

"Which one?"

"Our first date." Al smiled and chuckled.

"Oh, yeah. Aah, memories." May smiled as she kissed him.

"Speaking of stories," said May as she pulled away.

"Yeah?"

"Why do the boys know about the Homunculi?" she asked. Al looked horrified.

"I'm a dead man aren't I?"

"So dead."

* * *

I'm going to go back over all the chapters and fix mistakes or expand on them so no new chapters for a couple days. Hope you don't mind.


	15. Island Life

I decided to post something. I really wanted to write this. Hope you like it.

* * *

Island Life

Jackson was out in the front yard looking at his book of transmutation circles. "Let's see, I transmuted Emma's wrench into sand." He laughed evilly as he picked up the sand that was once his sister's wrench and let the wind carry it away. "Transmuted the milk into soda." He took a swig out of the milk bottle that now contained delicious cola. "And turned the sourdough bread into blond brownies." He took a bit of the brownies and immediately spit it out. "Yuck, they still taste like sourdough. Well, two out of three isn't bad. Now what to do next?" He looked through the book and found a transmutation circle for an explosion type of alchemy. Jack remembered his dad mention someone named Kimblee was apt at this type of alchemy. He drew the circle on his automail arm thinking he could make an exploding blade kind of alchemy. He touched his arm to test it out.

_BOOM!_

Jack was knocked down from the explosion. He sat up waving the smoke away from his face. He made sure all of his limbs were intact. _Let's see, both legs, both feet, one arm. . .wait. . ._He looked at his left arm. The hydraulics wires were hanging out of his shoulder. He saw the remainder of his arm scattered on the ground.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Jack what is it?!" shouted Emma as she burst out of the house to check on her brother. Her mouth gaped open when she saw his arm missing. "What did you do?!"

"I blew my arm up," said Jack sheepishly.

"Where's my wrench?" she asked.

"Um. . ." He looked at the small traces of sand next to him. Emma grumbled as she went inside. Jack was glad he got rid of the wrench.

_WHACK!_

Jack fell back as a wrench hit his head.

"How?" he asked surprised.

"I always keep a spare handy!" explained Emma angrily. "You're in so much trouble when Mom and Dad find out!"

"Can't you just replace the arm?" asked Jack.

"One, we don't have an arm your size. Two, I'm not allowed to perform automail surgery on my own. Three, there's no way I'm missing you pay for this."

"You're a cruel witch!" accused Jack. Emma smiled smugly. As they spoke, the family car pulled up. Winry stepped out and saw her children.

"Hey, you two what's-" she stopped when she noticed Jack's arm or lack thereof. The silence was tense. "Jackson Urey Elric, what have you done to your arm!"

Jack sat in a chair in his dad's study. Both parents were standing over him. "How could you be so reckless?" asked Winry. "I thought you were more responsible than this!"

"I was just having a little fun."

"I told you not to do that explosion alchemy," lectured Ed. "Also transmuting all the stuff you don't like into something else is an abuse of your skills."

"Sorry," apologized Jack.

"Sorry, isn't going to cut it, Mister," said Winry.

"What do you mean?" asked Jack.

"I've arranged a special punishment for you," said Ed.

"What kind of punishment?"

The Elric family walked up to a small butcher shop. Ed knocked on the door. A woman with black hair that was graying a bit walked out. She smiled when she saw Ed.

"Edward," she greeted softly.

"Hey, Teacher," greeted Ed as the two hugged. Suddenly, Ed found a knee jamming into his gut. He fell backwards on the ground winded.

"Why haven't I heard from you since your wedding? I'm offended that you never call!" shouted the woman.

"I send cards!" defended Ed.

"That's a poor excuse!" she shouted. Jack and Emma were stunned at this woman. Winry was only mildly taken back.

"Hello, Izumi," greeted Winry.

"Hello, dear," said Winry as the two women hugged. Izumi looked down at the two children. "You must be Jack and Emma. What a pleasure to meet you."

"Hi," said both kids in nervous unison.

"Kids, this is your dad's mentor, Izumi Curtis," said Winry.

"Please, feel free to call me 'Granny,'" said Izumi.

"Granny?" asked Ed as he sat up.

"That a problem, Edward!" growled Izumi as she glared down at Ed.

"No, not at all!" said Ed waving his hands frantically.

"Why are you here if you don't mind my asking," Izumi asked Winry.

"Jack here has gotten reckless with his alchemy," said Winry as she laid a hand on Jack's head. "Ed thought a good punishment would be to have you mentor him."

"So I'm a punishment now?" she asked Ed as he stood up.

"What? No, not at all! I meant that I thought you could give Jack that same lesson you gave me and Al!"

"Speaking of Al, he actually calls me at least twice a week," said Izumi.

"Your point?" asked Ed annoyed.

"Watch your tone!"

"Sorry!" said Ed straightening up. Jack and Emma were dumbfounded at how much control Izumi had over their dad. He seemed even more scared of her than Winry.

"I think I can take on another student," said Izumi.

"Another student?" asked Jack. Izumi smiled.

"Come with me." She led them into the shop which was also her home. She brought them into the dining room where her husband, Sig, whose hair was slightly grayer than hers, was sitting with a familiar face.

"Uncle Ed! Aunt Winry!" shouted the young boy happily as he ran to them and hugged them.

"Bryan?" asked Winry and Ed in unison.

"Al dropped him off earlier this week," explained Izumi. "Bryan here has started showing promise in alchemy and alkahestry. Al thought it would be good for him to train with me for a while."

"At six?" asked Winry.

"Not much younger than Al and I," reasoned Ed.

"I guess we're training together, Bryan," said Jack.

"Cool!" said Bryan excitedly.

"Come with me students," instructed Izumi. Jack and Bryan followed her out to the backyard. Sig and the rest of the Elric family watched from the back porch.

"What did you want to ask us, Granny?" asked Bryan. Immediately, Izumi grabbed both boys by the wrist and through them onto the ground.

"While we are training you will refer to me as 'Teacher,' understood?" asked Izumi. Both boys lay on their backs dazed. "I said understood!" Both boys quickly got on their knees and faced her.

"Yes, Teacher!" both boys said in unison.

That night Ed found he couldn't sleep. He went downstairs and saw Izumi and Sig still awake and sitting at the dining room table.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked them.

"Sure," said Sig. Ed took a seat at the table.

"Want something to drink?" asked Sig.

"No, thank you," said Ed.

"Are you, Winry, and Emma going home while I train Jack?" asked Izumi.

"We were but I thought about what you said about me not keeping in touch. We decided to stay until Jack's punishment is over if that's alright."

"We'd like that," said Izumi.

"Teacher, may I ask you something?" asked Ed.

"You don't have to call me that anymore," said Izumi.

"It feels wrong not to," said Ed. "Anyway, my question."

"Yes?"

"Why do you want Al and my kids to call you Granny?" asked Ed. Izumi smiled.

"You know we were never able to have kids," said Sig. "While we may not say it, we always saw you and Al as sons."

"I guess you could say we feel the same about your kids," said Izumi. "If you don't want them to than-"

"No, I get it," Ed interrupted. He smiled softly at the old couple whom he considered surrogate parents. "I'm glad you feel that way." Izumi and Sig smiled. "So are you going to throw them to the wolves like you did me and Al?" Izumi chuckled.

"You expect anything less?" she asked.

"Not for a second."

The next day Jack and Bryan found themselves on an island in the middle of a large lake. Izumi threw a knife into the sand in front of them from the boat she and Sig were in. The two boys looked at her confused. "What are we learning today, Granny?" asked Bryan.

"Excuse me?" asked Izumi shooting him a glare.

"Sorry, Teacher!" he quickly corrected. Izumi didn't seem to pay him heed as she looked at both boys.

"All is one and one is all," she said. The two boys looked at each other confused. "You two will stay here for thirty days. Alchemy and alkahestry are strictly forbidden during this time. When I return, and if you're still alive, I expect you to know the answer to my riddle."

"Thirty days?" asked Jack.

"If we're still alive?" whimpered Bryan.

"No complaining!" shouted Izumi. "This is the beginning of your training, Bryan and it is your punishment, Jack. If you pass I will further train Bryan and Jack is free to go." Before the boys could say anything, Izumi and Sig left them there alone.

"Wh-what do we do, Jack?" asked Bryan. Both boys' stomachs growled. Jack picked up the knife.

"I guess we find food."

_Three days later. . ._

Jack and Bryan lay on their backs looking up at the night sky. Neither of them had figured out how to start a fire and hadn't caught any food. Luckily, the lake water was drinkable.

"I'm hungry, Jack," said Bryan.

"I know," said Jack.

"Are we going to find any food?" asked Bryan.

"I hope," answered Jack.

_One week later. . ._

Jack waited behind some bushes. He and Bryan had been living off berries around the island. Unfortunately, edible ones were scarce. Bryan almost found out the hard way. But Jack had his chance. He had set up a trap and saw a rabbit walking by. Finally, some decent food. Now if only they could figure out how to start a fire. Jack snapped his attention back to reality as he heard his trap go off. The rabbit was caught. Jack pulled out the knife and approached his prey. As he stood over the small creature, he hesitated. Could he really do it?

"No!" shouted Bryan as he tackled Jack to the ground. "Don't kill it!"

"Why?"

"It's just a little bunny. Please don't kill it," he pleaded. Jack looked at him then to the bunny.

"Fine," he conceded. He got up and let the rabbit loose. He looked over his shoulder at Bryan who smiled.

"We'll find something else to eat," said Bryan.

"I hope."

_Five days later. . ._

Jack was sick of being starved. He could swear the berries had gotten scarcer. Luckily he and Bryan figured out how to set a fire and even got a rough shelter set up. Jack's stomach growled as he wished he could eat something filling but he didn't want Bryan to flip out. He could tell Bryan was hungry too but wasn't saying anything. Jack sighed. They were halfway through. They could hold out.

_The next day. . ._

Jack couldn't hold out. He ran like a madman after another rabbit. Forget Bryan! He wasn't going to die just so his cousin could have a clear conscience. He wasn't going to let Bryan die either. Even if he had to stuff it down his throat, Jack would make sure his cousin ate. He shouted and jumped the rabbit.

"Gotcha!" he said proudly. He held up his knife. The rabbit gave him a sad look. Jack closed his eyes as he brought his knife down.

Bryan got a fire going and found a few berries. He heard Jack coming to the camp.

"Hey, Ja- What is that?!" he shouted pointing at the dead rabbit.

"Dinner," said Jack.

"Why'd you kill it?" asked Bryan.

"I won't let us die out here! I won't allow myself to be careless out here! Not when it might cost you your life!"

"But the bunny-"

"We need to eat, Bryan. That's how it works. The grass feeds the rabbit, the rabbit feeds us, when we die we become the grass that feeds the rabbit."

"Like a cycle?" asked Bryan.

"Like a cycle," answered Jack. "Everything is connected in it. We're just a small part of a bigger world."

"Is that what teacher meant?" asked Bryan. Jack pondered the question.

"Yeah, I think so," answered Jack. He ran a sharpened stick through the rabbit and placed it over the fire. Bryan looked sick. "I don't gain any pleasure out of this you know," said Jack.

"I know. I'm sorry. Thanks for looking out for me," said Bryan. Jack smiled as he put a hand on his cousin's shoulder.

"We're family. It's what we do."

_Five days later. . ._

With new determination both boys doubled their efforts. With a new understanding of the world, both boys were now willing to do what was needed to survive. They worked together to hunt food and build shelter. Just a few more days and they'd be home free.

_Nine days later. . ._

The boys sat cross legged on the shore as Izumi and Sig sailed up to them Izumi stood over the boys. As she opened her mouth the boys spoke.

"ALL IS THE WORLD AND ONE IS ME!" they shouted in unison. Izumi looked surprised at first then smiled.

"Well done. Now let's get you home."

"Be sure to visit often," said Izumi.

"We will," said Ed.

"Take care," said Winry. Bryan looked sad as Jack was about to leave. Jack felt bad too. He had gotten attached to Bryan over their month on the island.

"Something wrong, Jack?" asked Emma.

"Well," started Jack. "I was wondering. Could I stay a little longer? It's summer vacation back home. I want to learn more from Izumi and I would feel bad if I left Bryan alone with her." Izumi chuckled. Ed and Winry looked at each other than back at Jack.

"You sure?" asked Winry. Jack nodded. "Well. . .I suppose since you already started."

"Yay!" shouted Bryan as he hugged his cousin. "Cousin-Brother is gonna stay!"

"Cousin-Brother?" asked Jack.

"That's my name for you. Is it bad?" Jack smiled as he ruffled Bryan's hair.

"I like it. . .Cousin-Brother." The moment was interrupted as they were thrown on the ground by Izumi.

"As moved as I am I won't go soft on you. Your real training starts now!"

"This going to be a long summer isn't it, Cousin-Brother?" asked Bryan.

"Let's shorten that to C.B., okay? And are you kidding?" said Jack as he lept to his feet and faced Izumi. "If you ask me, summer won't be long enough." Izumi gave him a wicked smile.

"Oh, this'll be fun," she said.

* * *

I'll work on a Emma and Kai centered chapter next.


	16. While Brother Trains

I'm at sixteen chapters?! When that'd happen?

* * *

While Brother Trains

Ed, Winry, and Emma, stepped off the train to Xing. It was Emma's first time out of Amestris. Jack was still training with Izumi. Emma made a mental note to rub it Jack's face when she saw him next. Suddenly, she felt awfully lonely at the absence of her big brother.

"Over here!" shouted Al as he walked up to the family.

"Hey, Al!" greeted Ed as he hugged his little brother.

"About time you visited me for a change," said Al.

"You know Winry and I are more here on business than anything else," reminded Ed.

"I'll take what I can get," said Al.

"Oh, ignore him, Al," said Winry as she hugged her brother-in-law. "We're definitely here to visit you too."

"Well before we do that," said Al, "Ling wants to see you. He's got a banquet set up with us and some Xingese scholars. He also invited a couple of people interested in introducing automail to Xing."

"Sounds good," said Ed. "I'm starving."

* * *

Emma couldn't believe how big the palace was. Ling could fit everyone in Risembool here if he wanted to. Al led them to the Grand Dining room. May waited outside the door for them.

"Hello, Ed, Winry," greeted May. "Ling wants to start soon. Unfortunately, Ling is in his business mode today and doesn't want any children present."

"I didn't know Ling became so strict," said Ed.

"Oh, he's still the same happy go lucky idiot you know and love," said May, "but he's taking this particular meeting very seriously."

"It's okay," said Emma. "So where do I go?"

"Kai can show you," answered May. "Kai!" she called. Suddenly, Kai dropped down from his hiding place on the ceiling surprising everyone but May and Al.

"Hi guys!" he greeted. He hugged his Aunt and Uncle happily.

"Kai, sweetie," said May. "Could you take your cousin back to our house?"

"Yep," said Kai.

"I thought we were staying at a guest house or something," said Ed.

"Our place can probably fir three families," said Al. "It's no big deal. Also, this is the first time you guys have visited. May and I insist you stay with us." May nodded in agreement.

"Alright then," said Ed. He ruffled Emma's hair much to her annoyance. "See you later, Angel. Be good okay?"

"Yes, Sir," said Emma. Kai and Emma watched as their parents walked into the dining hall. Before she went in, May had some servants take the Elrics' bags.

"Follow me," said Kai to Emma.

"Wait," said Emma holding up a hand to stop him. Kai looked at her confused. "Don't I get a hello hug?" asked Emma.

"Huh? Oh, right." Emma giggled as she hugged his cousin.

"Good to see you again, Kai."

"You too," said Kai. He let go of his cousin and started walking down the hall. "Let's go," he instructed.

"Right behind you," said Emma.

* * *

"Wow, Uncle Al was right," said Emma when she saw her uncle's house. "Your house is big."

"Uncle Ling gave it Mom and Dad a little before Bryan and I were born. They tried to refuse but he insisted."

"So do you have your own room?" asked Emma as she followed him into the house.

"I would if Bryan wasn't such a baby," said Kai annoyed. "He's still scared of the dark and refuses to sleep in his own room." Emma smirked as she thought of how Jack must be sharing a room with Bryan. Jack hated sharing his room.

"Excuse me, Miss Emma," said one of the servants. Emma and Kai looked at him. "Where would you like us to put your family's luggage?"

"Oh, just leave it by the front door. Mom and Dad hate it when people arrange their stuff for them."

"Are you sure?" asked the servant.

"Yeah, sure. Trust me, it'll be a lot less hectic if you let my parents arrange their own things."

"As you wish, Miss Emma," said the servant with a nod. He and the other servants set the luggage by the front door before departing.

"Thanks guys," said Kai as the servants left.

"So you guys have servants too?" asked Emma.

"Nah, Mom and Dad insist on doing things themselves as much as possible," explained Kai. "They don't like be waited on."

"I see," said Emma. She grabbed her own bags and looked at Kai. "Can you tell me where I can put this?"

"Oh, right," said Kai. "Your room is upstairs." Kai led her to the second floor where all the bedrooms were. He took her to the last room on the left. "This is your room. The room next to it is for your parents." He pointed to the room across the hall. "That room is for you and your mom to do automail stuff if you want."

"You have a lot of spare room," observes Emma. Kai shrugged. Emma put her bags down on her bed and stepped into the makeshift workshop. A table and workbench were set up in the middle of the room. The room itself was smaller than their workshop back home but there was enough space for both Winry and Emma to work comfortably.

"So what do you want to do, Emma?" asked Kai. Emma rubbed her stomach.

"I'm a little hungry. Would Aunt May mind if I made a sandwich?" she asked. Kai shook his head.

"I don't think so," said Kai. "Come on, I'll show you where the kitchen is." Emma nodded and followed her cousin to the kitchen. "There's should be some sandwich stuff in the fridge."

"Okay," said Emma going over to the fridge. She opened it and grabbed some bread slices, cold cuts, and cheese. She set them on the counter and looked at Kai. "You want one too?" she asked.

"I can make my own," said Kai. The two made sandwiches and ate them.

"So how long do you think that meeting out parents are in will take?" asked Emma. Kai shrugged.

"I don't know," said Kai.

"Well what do you want to do until then?"

"You want to play hide-and-seek?" asked Kai. Emma shrugged.

"Okay." Kai smiled and grabbed her wrist.

"Yay, let's do it outside," he said happily as he led her out to the back yard and to the large tree planted there. "I'll hide and you seek okay?"

"Sure." Emma leaned against the tree and covered her eyes. "One, two, three. . ." Kai looked around for somewhere to hide. "Four, five, six. . ." He wondered where he could hide. It had to be somewhere good. "Seven, eight, nine. . ." Suddenly, he had an idea. "Ten!" Emma turned around and looked around the yard. "Ready or not here I come."

_15 minutes later. . . _

"Okay, Kai this isn't funny anymore!" shouted Emma. "Seriously, where are you?" She was getting more than frustrated. She had looked everywhere. She even looked inside the house in case he went in there. "Kai!"

"Hi!" said a voice behind her.

"AH!" screamed Emma as she whipped around swinging her fist.

"Oof!" grunted Kai as Emma hit him in the face. "Ow," said Kai as he rubbed his jaw.

"Oh, Kai, I'm so sorry!" said Emma as she knelt in front of her cousin. "Does it hurt?"

"You tell me!" said Kai as he swung his fist at her. She caught it with ease.

"I said I was sorry," she said annoyed. Kai looked at her surprised.

"How'd you do that?" asked Kai.

"Huh?" She noticed she was holding Kai's fist. "Oh, this. I spar with my dad and brother sometimes."

"Really?" asked Kai. He smirked evilly. "Bet I can take you." Emma looked at him confused before chuckling.

"Prove it."

* * *

Winry and May walked into the house. Ed and Al stayed back at the palace to talk about a few more things with Ling.

"I wonder where the kids are," said May.

"Ow, ow, ow, OW!" came a shout from outside. May and Winry headed to the backyard where Emma had Kai pinned to the ground and held both of his arms behind his back.

"Emma Trisha Elric, let go of your cousin!" scolded Winry. Emma let Kai sit up.

"You're really good," said Kai as he rubbed his left arm.

"Are you okay, Kai?" asked May.

"Yeah," said Kai. "Don't get mad at, Emma. I was my idea to spar."

"I didn't mean to hurt him," said Emma.

"I wasn't hurt," said Kai.

"Then what was all that 'ow, ow, ow' business?" asked Emma smirking.

"I was just trying to boost your confidence," said Kai.

"Oh, yeah, right!"

"Okay, enough you two," said May with a slight chuckle. "Kai, I noticed you left a mess in the kitchen. Go clean it up."

"You too, Emma," added Winry.

"Yes, ma'am," said both cousins in unison.

* * *

Emma and Kai sat on the balcony of Emma's room looking up at the stars.

"It's really pretty in Xing," said Emma.

"Yeah," said Kai. He sat back in his chair and looked up and saw a bright star by the moon. "Do you think our brothers can see the same stars we can?" Emma looked up and found the same star he was looking at.

"I don't know," said Emma. "Maybe." She looked at Kai. "You miss your brother?" Kai nodded.

"I thought it'd be cool to be away from him for a while. He can get really whiney sometimes. But now that he's gone, I really miss him. It feels so weird that he's gone."

"Well, you are twins," said Emma. "It'd make sense you'd miss him."

"What about you?" asked Kai. "Do you miss Jackson?"

"Yeah," answered Emma. "It's nice to not have my tools blow up or get turned into sand, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss him." Kai nodded and continued star gazing. Emma could tell he was down. She put and arm over his shoulder. "I guess we'll just have to keep each other company until our brothers come back." Kai smiled and nodded.

"Okay. Never had a sister before." Emma laughed.

"Well, I'll be sure to be the best one ever."

* * *

Special thanks to all my readers for following my story. Hope I keep it up


	17. Unexpected Surprise

Unexpected Surprise

"Are you sure?" asked Winry.

"Yes," said the doctor.

"But. . .how?"

"Do I really need to explain the process to you?" asked the doctor.

"N-no, but I wasn't really expecting this."

"Well, I don't know how else to put it. You're pregnant, Mrs. Elric." Winry sat speechless in the doctor's office. She just couldn't seem to process the news. "Is this a bad thing?" asked the doctor.

"What?" asked Winry snapping back to reality. "No! No, not at all. It's just a surprise is all. I'm going to have to speak with my husband later." The doctor nodded.

"Of course. Call me if there are any problems."

"I will," said Winry standing up. "Thank you." Winry walked out of the doctor's office and headed down the hallway to the exit. How was she going to tell Ed? How would he react? Both agreed that their family was complete a long time ago. How would Jack and Emma react? Jack was already 13 with Emma hot on his heels. They'd both be out of the house before the baby was in elementary school. Would they be fond of their new sibling? She took a deep breath and let it out. "One step at a time, Winry. One step at a time."

A knock on the door was heard in Fuhrer Mustang's office.

"Come in," said Roy. The door opened and Ed walked in. "Fullmetal," said Roy smiling at his old friend.

"You ever going to stop calling me that?" asked Ed as he sat across the desk from Mustang.

"Nope," said Roy with a smirked. Ed shighed.

"Okay, fine. What did you call me over here for anyway?" asked Ed.

"There's a new university opening up here in Central," explained Mustang.

"Yeah and?"

"One of the school's major focuses is alchemy and its various forms. They're looking for a professor who knows a lot about alchemic techniques from out West."

"How does this involve me?" asked Ed.

"I told the school administrator about you. You've done a lot of research out West and that makes you the best option," said Mustang.

"Wait," said Ed. "Are you saying I'm being offered a teaching position?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying," answered Roy. Ed was shocked.

"But I've never had any teaching experience," said Ed.

"The administrator is short on professors knowledgeable on the subject. I don't think he'll care too much. So what do you say?"

"I'll have to move my family," said Ed.

"Let me worry about that," said Roy.

"We aren't city folk. And we have a dog. He won't like being cramped in an apartment."

"I can find you a place with enough space a short drive outside the city," said Roy. He was making it awfully hard for Ed to say no.

"This is a very gracious opportunity they're offering," said Ed.

"You've earned it," said Roy. "So what do you say?"

"Can I have some time to talk to my family?" asked Ed.

"Of course." Roy grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled a phone number on it. He handed it to Ed. "Call this number when you've made your decision." Ed stared at the number than looked at Roy.

"Thanks, Roy," said Ed. It was one of the few times Ed actually called Roy by his first name. "I'll be sure to get to the university as soon as possible."

Winry sat in her workshop tuning up Jack's arm. He didn't do a very good job at maintaining his automail while at Izumi's. Normally, she would have scolded him, but Winry needed something to work on so she wouldn't go insane. She was nervous about what Ed's reaction to her being pregnant would be. He was going to be home soon and he wasn't sure how she was going to tell him.

"Daddy!" she heard Emma shout from downstairs. Winry stood up and headed downstairs. She saw her husband being tackled by Shadow.

"Hey, hey, get off me!" laughed Ed as the dog licked him. He finally managed to push the large dog off of him.

"Hey, Dad!" greeted Jack as he came in from the kitchen. Ed stood up and smiled at his son.

"Well, look who's back from Izumi's," said Ed. "Has your voice gotten deeper?"

"I dunno," said Jack.

"A little," said Winry as she walked to the bottom of the steps. Ed walked up to her and hugged her.

"Hey, you," he greeted. He looked at her and smiled. "Hey can I ask you something in private?" She looked at him confused.

"Um, okay," she answered. "I need to tell you something too."

"Oh. Okay then," said Ed.

"Can I tell you about my training later?" asked Jack.

"Absolutely," said Ed. "Just gotta talk to your mom real quick. He and Winry headed upstairs to their room. Ed shut the door.

"So what's up?" asked Winry. Ed looked at her with a smile beaming on his face.

"I'm being offered a teaching position in Central!" he nearly shouted.

"Really?" asked Winry.

"Yeah! Their looking for a professor to teach about Western alchemy and Mustang mentioned me."

"Wow, Ed that's so great!" said Winry hugging him. "What did you tell him?"

"I haven't given an answer yet," said Ed. "I wanted to run it by you and the kids first. We'd have to move if I accept."

"Oh, right," saidn Winry. "I guess we'll have to break it to them later. But if you want to go through with this, I'm right behind you."

"You sure?" asked Ed.

"Absolutely," said Winry. Ed smiled and kissed her forehead.

"So what did you want to tell me?" asked Ed. Winry's face went a little pale. She let go her embrace from Ed and walked a couple steps away keeping her back turned to him. "Winry?"

"I went to the doctor's earlier today," she said.

"You did? Are you okay?" asked Ed.

"Well, technically yes," she said.

"But?"

"I got some unexpected news," she said. She turned around to face him. "I'm pregnant." Ed just stared at her with wide eyes. "Ed?"

"Pregnant?" he asked. She nodded. He blinked a couple times. Winry looked solemn. "You okay?" he asked.

"I-I just wasn't sure how you'd react," said Winry. "We both agreed that were happy with our family as it is. I was kind of afraid you might get upset."

"Upset?" asked Ed. Winry nodded as tears pricked the tips of her eyes. "Hey, hey, Winry, calm down," he said as he walked up to her and hugged her. "Upset is the last thing on my mind. Sure we might not have planned on this, but this is far from a bad thing." Winry wrapped her arms around him.

"You're really alright with this?" she asked.

"Absolutely," said Ed.

"You think Jack and Emma will be?"

"Are you kidding?" asked Ed. "They're going to be estatic." Winry chuckled.

"It looks like we're entering into a new phase of our lives," said Winry.

"Indeed we are."


	18. New Place

Sorry for the long wait. I've been working a lot this summer and it usually leaves me tired and sapped of creativity. I'll probably end up adding a new chapter to all my stories only once or maybe twice a month. Thanks for your patience and understanding and I hope you keep enjoying.

* * *

New Place

Ed set the last of the boxes in the master bedroom. Winry was looking around the room. The house Mustang brought them was about two miles out from the main city of Central. Their house was on top of a grassy hill. Shadow absolutely loved all the space. There was a tree by the house that Alley loved to climb. Jack and Emma both got their own rooms. There were even enough rooms for the baby to have its own room when it was born. Ed and Winry were blown away at how nice the house was. Their master bedroom was almost twice the size of their old one in Risembool.

"We really need to find a way to thank the Fuhrer," said Winry.

"Yeah," said Ed. "I wonder how he was able to get this place."

"Well, he is the Fuhrer," said Winry. "He probably has a lot of strings to pull."

"Guess so. So you like this place?"

"I love it!" said Winry. "I used to dream about a place like this when I was little."

"You think the kids like it?" asked Ed.

"Why don't we go ask them?" suggested Winry.

"Okay." The two went to Emma's room. She was already unpacked and putting the finishing touches on setting up her room. "Hey, Angel," greeted Ed.

"Hey," said Emma.

"So do you like your new room?" asked Winry. Emma sat on her bed. Alley was sleeping soundly on one of Emma's pillows.

"Yep," said Emma. She pet her cat. "Alley likes it too." Emma looked at Winry. "Are we going to start on the baby's room soon?" she asked. Emma was excited about having a younger sibling. She had already suggested names and practically begged Winry to let her help with the baby's room.

"Let's wait until we know for sure if the baby's a boy or girl," said Winry.

"Do you not know yet?" asked Emma.

"I'm barely a month pregnant, silly. It will be a little while before I know for sure."

"How do you like the new house?" asked Ed.

"It's so big," said Emma. "It's nice."

"Glad you like it," said Ed. "Where's your brother?"

"In his room," answered Emma. Ed and Winry headed down the hall to Jack's room.

"Hold still, stupid!" they heard him say. They looked into Jack's room and saw him pulling a small cardboard box that got stuck on Shadow's head. Shadow shook his head and growled at the box. "I told you not to put your head in there," lectured Jack.

"Hey, buddy," said Ed. "You all unpacked?"

"Yep," said Jack. "Shadow got his head stuck in the last of the boxes." Shadow started chewing on the box that held him captive.

"So you and Emma have your first day of school Monday," said Winry. "Are you excited?" Jack shrugged.

"It's school," answered Jack. "What's to be excited about?" Jack sat on his bed.

"Emma seems excited," said Ed.

"Emma's excited about a lot of things," sighed Jack.

"Are you okay?" asked Winry. Jack just shrugged. Winry sat next to her son. "C'mon, talk to me, sweetie."

"What's up, bud?" asked Ed as he stood in front of his son.

"It just seems so weird," said Jack. "We've lived in Risembool since forever and now we're in this huge city."

"Technically, we live outside the city," joked Ed.

"Close enough," snapped Jack not in the mood for his father's sarcasm.

"Are you afraid you won't fit in?" asked Winry.

"A little I guess." Ed chuckled.

"Well, you aren't the only one," said Ed sitting on the other side of his son. "I'm nervous too."

"Really?" asked Jack.

"Absolutely," answered Ed. "I've never taught anyone anything. I think I was less scared when Al and I were looking for the Philosopher's Stone."

"So what do you do when you're scared, Dad?"

"You stand up and run at the challenge head on," said Ed putting his hand on Jack's shoulder.

"That easy?" asked Jack.

"Oh, it's never easy," said Ed. "But it'll only get harder if you keep backing away from every challenge."

"Your dad's right," said Winry. "And we'll be right here to help you get used to things." Shadow suddenly poked his head under Jack's arm and barked happily. "And Shadow will be here too."

"Okay," said Jack with a slight smile as he pet his dog's head. "So has Emma asked about helping with the baby's room yet?"

"She won't stop asking," said Ed.

"She wants to make it all pink and stuff," said Jack. "She's convinced it's going to be another girl."

"You don't want another sister?" asked Winry. Jack shrugged.

"I think Emma's just trying to design the room she's always wanted," said Jack.

"I'll keep that in mind," said Winry. "You want to help decorate it?"

"No, I'm good," said Jack. "But I'll help keep an eye on my new sibling when he or she's born." Winry kissed Jack head.

"Thank you sweetie," said Winry. "Now how about we get dinner ready? You hungry?"

"Yeah," said Jack excitedly as he ran out of the room. Ed and Winry stood up.

"You think he'll be okay?" asked Winry.

"Absolutely," said Ed. "He's a tough kid. Emma too. They'll both get through this." Winry smiled. "So what did you have in mind for dinner?"

"Something Xingese maybe," said Winry. "And something sweet. Like pudding. Yeah, pudding sounds good. . ." Winry continued listing things she wanted to eat. Ed sighed. A new teaching job, a pregnant wife starting to get weird cravings, a now teenage son, and a hyper active daughter not to mention the cat and dog. A lot of things rising up to make him nervous. But he could face it. He just told his son that's what needed to be done.

And if Edward Elric is anything, he's a man of his word.


	19. Taking a break

So, I've decided to take a break from writing my stories for a while. Work is just too time consuming and leaves me worn out. Once school starts I'll have some more free time on my hands to do some writing. Sorry to keep you all waiting longer and I thank you for your patience. Sometime around September is when I hope to continue my stories. Until then I must wish you all a farewell. Thanks.


End file.
